Absolutely. I’ve been watching his stuff for only a year and got the impression he was a genuine guy immediately. I also love when he talks about games and movies that loves. He exudes passion on a level rarely seen here on UA-cam. If you haven’t seen his Final Fantasy Rumination then absolutely do so. They’re amazing. The fact that he doesn’t have more subscribers is practically an injustice.
Arch, one thing that always struck me is that Luke isn't just Vader's son, he's also Padme's son. Given that Anakin turned to save Padme, but was unable to do so, I wonder how much Vader felt as if he was saving the part of Padme that was left in Luke there at the end in addition to the idea of saving his own son. Did he see Padme in Luke and perhaps couldn't bear to fail her again in some way? Not discounting Vader's concern for his son, but just an added layer there on top. It's just something I thought was an interesting angle.
I really liked this rumination Archengia. In particular, everything you said after the 1:26:00 mark reflects my thoughts about this movie as well. I remember I first saw this when I was either five or six years old and throughout the entire movie I was waiting to see Luke and Vader go head to head, and to see how the Emperor was 'even stronger than darth Vader' as my Dad described it to me. And I remember at that age being completely engrossed in the inner (not just the physical conflict) between Vader and Luke that had been going on since Luke turned himself over. And when Luke shout's "No!" and starts going at Vadar and that spine chilling music starts playing I just remembered being completely glued to the screen. THEN add on top of that when the Emperor starts shooting FREAKING LIGHTING from his hands and that had to be the first time I was ever completely in awe of a fictional story, and probably was what caused me to become a writer and story teller myself. And again this scene was done so well that a bloody five year old could understand what was going on, and the significance of it. I completely understand and agree with why you would say Return is your favourite Star Wars movie. Even now, after I've gotten old enough to dislike the Ewoks, that scene between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor has to still be my absolute favorite piece of film. Spot on sir.
Alicia here -- just wanted to say, I loved this video, and "Return of the Jedi" is my favorite of the Star Wars movies for the same reasons you described at the end. Only you said it very eloquently and I still couldn't figure out how to say it at all. Thank you so much.
random response: You say that Palpatine is himself responsible for Luke resisting the plunge to the dark side. Basically by saying "good, goooood" he made Luke self aware of what was happening and hence he could come to his senses and choose to stop doing 'evil'. I contend this is EXACTLY what Palpatine wants. To become a Sith you can't FALL to the dark side, you have to CHOOSE it. Giving in to your hate and anger, that is the way you unlock the power of the dark side, but being a Sith is choosing to embrace that power specifically for the agenda of ruling the galaxy to make things the way you want them to be. So Luke gave into the dark side and defeated Vader and The Emperor brought him back around to basically be like 'see what you can do when you embrace the POWER of the dark side, now CHOOSE to be my apprentice and I will teach you.'
I like Admiral Piett, he comes across as merely professional rather than just evil because, he could easily be working of the Rebels and not have to change his performance one bit. Also yeah taking a super star destroyer out with a Kamakasi attack is kinda silly although it does fit in with the WW2 style of space combat of Classic Starwars, a lightweight fighter did sink the USS Yorktown after all. I must admit, defending a ship of that size must be a challenge, I mean how many batteries would you need to cover all angles of attack just to defend the craft. I guess the idea of that was to show that the ships shields had been taken down, and then its defences simply overwhelmed by the amount of fighters attacking it to allow the Awing to hit the Bridge, a team effort then. It's the crashing into the Deathstar that doens't click with me. Maybe they could have had one of the Mon Calamari Cruisers ram it after the bridge was taken out and take it down that way, afterall, its not like the SSD would be be able manoeuvre very well.
I always figured that when Ackbar had them focus their fire he meant their engines to a degree, and when they lost the bridge they couldn’t switch over control fast enough to fight the gravity well. But that’s just me.
I got to the point where you start talking about the sarlaac and I thought, "Wow, I wonder what he'd think if he came across one that was force sensitive?" There was indeed a very well written fanfic that explored this possibility in an alternative Star Wars continuity, albeit one so far into the future that everything up to a certain point is effectively cannon.
Wonderful video. Just marathoned all three movies yesterday. This one had some astounding moments, and despite its problems, probably ranks as my favorite.
Just a minor point. My personal theory is that the Emperor COULD sense Luke, but played dumb to Vader just in case the latter was planning his own coup as Sith are wont to do. If Vader was planning something that involved Luke and Palpatine claimed he couldn't sense him then that might fool Vader into thinking he had the upper hand. If Vader wasn't planning anything then there would be no problem. In addition, it also allowed Palpatine to ask 'I wonder if your thoughts on the matter are clear' and probe Vader's reaction to the implication that his sense of duty was waivering.
Thinking about Obi-Wan's lie, it does interest me to keep an eye on him when I rewatch the scene in New Hope. He actually looks visibly uncomfortable when he says "I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father," looking away from Luke and shifting a little. Just after Luke asks how his father died, before Obi-Wan answers he takes a breath, as if hesitating or steeling himself. And I admit I might be seeing what I want to see but there's a moment, just before the line "he betrayed and murdered your father" when he looks uncomfortable. I don't know exactly why this is, and I'm not saying that Lucas planned the whole reveal ahead of time, but I do wonder if it was deliberate, if Alec Guinness knew that his character was lying, or telling a half-truth. I'd speculate that it could have had something to do with the fake line "Obi-Wan killed your father" that hid the big reveal in Empire...
It makes his defenseless behavior on the Death Star even more justifiable!Buy the way, Anakin says to Sidious "His fate will be the same as ours" and all three of them died at the Death Star. Ironic :)
Luke's leitmotif is actually the main theme. The Force theme has less to do with a specific character (although it was initially tied to Obi-Wan back when A New Hope's score was done) and more to do with Jedi in general, hence why it's still used extensively in the prequels. The main theme however tends to be utilized as Luke's motif throughout the OT (and even in RotS when the separation of the twins occurs and Leia and Luke both get their themes played for their different scenes).
I always thought of Luke’s plan as an examination of his new Jedi mindset. He tried every possible peaceful option first, while laying on different contingencies. He started by laying Lando in as a back-up, and then sent in C-3PO & R2-D2 to bargain officially. That didn’t work, so Leia and Chewy went in to lay additional spies/infiltrators. Leia actually broke from the plan, in my mind, and was supposed to just be on hand as another mole. Luke comes in and requests to bargain, warns Jabba, and then gets captured. They get *out to the sarlacc* and Luke gives him a final chance, and when he’s denied once more, all the pieces fall into place. Lando gets Han free and Chewy keeps him safe. Leia and the droids are close to beat/distract Jabba. Luke and R2 get the flashy lightsaber to draw attention and take out the mooks. And they sweep the board in a few minutes. Of course, he was still inexperienced, which showed in both his injury and the fact Mara would have broken the plan with ease (as would any Imperial agent, because Luke was focused on just the crime lord situation). I always loved the story of how Boba Fett yearly comes back to any sarlacc he knows about and bombards it from orbit, regardless if it’s alive.
Amazing final rumination, Arch. Thank you so much for doing these. And to me, it's always awesome to see Return of the Jedi get some love. Such an underrated movie which has been bashed way more than it deserves to be. It's my favorite Star Wars movie too.
You're description of the Hutts as a generally superior species gave me the weird impression that Lucas was inspired by Leto Atreides II when he was a human-worm hybrid.
Its funny in the music scene at jabbas I always hear the backup singers say "shes a nasty ho". Even as a kid I heard "shes a nasty ho". Now I cant watch it without saying it that way in my head.
They're also often known as Imperial-class, for some god-awful reason. I agree so hard about Luke. I've long believed that Luke was the true chosen one, no matter what Lucas says. He truly seems (through both the movies and the EU) to be the only Jedi to have mastered his feelings. He is able to channel them, to use the Dark Side, without being consumed by it. In many ways he seems to better fit the idea of a Jedi who "will bring balance to the Force" than his father, because of this. It's nice to know someone else has a similar opinion!
+oiralire Or we could look at it as there never WAS a Chosen One, and that this whole prophecy was just a bunch of hokum (but in Lucas' case, a bunch of hokum construed just to overly lay all the importance on Anakin Skywalker)
+Eric Graham That was EU canon at some point, as I understand it... a long-running Sith subversion in order to distract the Jedi or something to that effect. Although, within the context of the movies (in which it is never actually confirmed that Anakin is the "Chosen One", this was something Lucas said in some interview or another) is what I really mean; that Luke better fit the bill, in some ways. Then, I have heard the argument that "hundreds of Jedi and only two Sith? Vader brought balance alright."
+oiralire Don't forget - aside from the hundreds of Jedi and 2 Sith, there were other disciples of the dark side as well that followed the Emperor (i.e.: Mara Jade)
I always thought that he eventually becomes the kind of Jedi that Kreia wanted the Exile to be - to understand both sides of the Force and not be fooled by either one.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie so far, minus Ewoks of course. Sure, the Empire is awesome, New Hope great but this is really true culmination of all those events and it is extraordinary. The final battle is simply better in my eyes than any in 4th and 5th. Every single scene except some on Tatooine and Endor is my highlight of the whole Trilogy. Wookiees FTW! Putting Ewoks instead of them is a goddamn atrocity.
I know that I'm quite late with this comment but I must say.This is the first time that I actually cried over the death of a villain. At this point we already know that there are others Star Wars movies, but no other villain character will come even close to Darth Vader.
I have watched all of the star wars ruminations (some of them more than once because I had to show them to other people), but around the hour and a half mark the remark was made that those who watched that far in would probably know about something. I find it amusing because I have not actually watched the star wars movies with the exception of episode 2 and random scenes from the others... so from that perspective I say thank you Archengia for the awesome Ruminations.
Great final SW Rumination...well, maybe not final. We still have about a year till Ep. 7 and who knows, you might do another.=) Could Leia have been seduced by the Dark Side? Interesting question. I would kind of lean towards 'No' in that Leia's upbringing might be enough to ground her. Also, given the fact that Vader and Tarkin forced her to watch Alderaan destroyed could be enough for her to see what happens when evil reigns. Did you ever read any of the Dark Horse 'Infinities' series on SW? In one of them, the Empire stops the Rebellion and Leia is captured and eventually she's trained by Vader in something of an apprentice-like fashion. Interesting story. I've often wondered if the title 'Return of the Jedi' isn't just the fact that Luke triumphs over the Dark Side (Palpatine, etc.) but also it could also be the return of Anakin to the Light Side. In other words, coming back as a Jedi. Once again, good job.
Most of the versions i've seen had subs for Jabba, but that's normal since we don't dub movies over here (thank goodness). We've started dubbing kids' movies in the last few years - and i spit on that with disgust, but grownups are still used to reading their way through a foreign language feature. I might have talked about this before, but there's something about Stop-Motion animation for live action movies that makes it just uncanny enough to be scary. I think it has something to do with the low frame-rate, the way it stutters just enough that you can tell something is off, but don't know what. I first noticed it with ED-209, but the Rancor benefits from the same effect. It's just eerie, the way it moves. As for fluff, there are good things you can do with it, i think, like using it to advance the plot without the viewer noticing, setting up a reveal, or just adding flavor. If it's there just for the sake of being there, though, i'd daresay it's just noise. In a movie that has about 120 minutes of run time, no less. Ah, the Emperor's name. I think i must've first read his last name in some magazine talking about Episode I (i remember i'd thought we'd actually meet him before he turned evil). It was... odd. Now people are making a fuss about his first name coming out, but i remember i was pretty weirded out when i read "Palpatine". Once you took that step, his first name might as well have been Steve; more than half the magic was already gone. I understand they had to do it sooner or later, but there's a reason that whenever i encounter some entity of abject terror, i immediately call it Bob or Carl or Suzy. Things just aren't as scary when you give them a name. They become grounded, and that part of your imagination stops running wild, and can be put to better use, as in to how to deal with them. I remember i was one of the people who asked who those weird fellows who were talking with Emperor were. I mean, they had no lines, no real camera presence, they were just there. And it took work and time and money to set them up too. I don't dislike that they were there, it just really struck me as odd back then. About Wookies vs Ewoks, i agree 100%, but i think i can raise ya there. And granted, this is only after knowing the prequels and the EU, but remember all those 100+ Jedi that survived the Purge? Remember Vos and Tholme and Starstone and Jennir? Now imagine if during the Endor Ground Battle, some of those rebel troopers started drawing lightsabers. Cause if this Trilogy had been done later, that payoff right there would have been flat-out awesome, i think. As for Luke handling the news of his parentage well, and i know this is going back to Empire, but i don't think Vader was the only one who underestimated Luke. Yoda and Obi-Wan might have missed just how much he had grown as a person too. Being under colossal pressure to succeed while believing himself inferior to the task before him was not a new thing to him at this point. He knew how to handle that, and it shows when he comes face to face with Vader. The determination across his face throughout the whole ordeal is something Anakin never came close to demonstrating in the whole trilogy, unless i missed something. Btw, i would debate the notion that Luke wasn't strong enough to defeat Vader at this point. Granted, Vader was probably having some difficulty drawing power from the Dark Side, given the turmoil his emotions were in, but Luke was rather holding back as well. Not in the heat of the fight itself, but he would constantly evade confrontation, and have concentration to spare to use Reverse Dun-Moch on his opponent. He kicks Vader off his feet, down a flight of stairs, and then refuses to press the attack. No matter how unagressive, a Light Jedi of Luke's skill would not have gone as easy on Vader during that fight if he was fighting for real. And as you yourself have established, Luke is indeed capable of dipping his toe in the Dark Side without plunging right in. Do i think Luke was superior? Not necessarily, but this is the Luke that was strong and wise enough to know when NOT to fight, in contrast with the Luke that was strong and wise enough to know when to give it his all no matter the situation, which was already very impressive back in Empire. So yeah, i think he could definitely have won that fight under his own power, in the long and grueling run. I like how it actually turned out better, though.
Arch, I love your work!!!!! I only recently learned of your videos having first watched your Star Trek movie ruminations then Star Wars 1-6. I honestly think you are brilliant. Your deep insight into the stories on the screen is amazing. Though I don't know your age I am certain we are almost the same age. Not that it matters. I only mention it to note that, at least by age, we have some similar perspective. However there are some areas where we disagree, and I apologize if I come across negative in any way. I argue strongly, not because I believe I am right, but because I believe I have good arguments. Again, not correct arguments, just good ones. I disagree with you even though I think you are far more intelligent than I am in these matters, but again, regardless of how it comes across, I respect you greatly, and believe, you are quite possibly correct. However, I will try to convince you otherwise and I hope that respect for your opinion comes through, even when I suggest a different perspective, strongly. The EU cannot be cannon. While the 6 films have plot holes and inconsistencies (how could Leia remember her mother? How could Kenobi fail to recognize the droids? I could go on.). The EU is filled with crap that is blatantly contradicted by canon and other EU or utterly, ridiculously un-Star Wars (can you see the green rabbit in the red/orange space suit that I am thinking of?). While there are times the EU borders on being canonical (Shadows of the Empire) other times it is plain annoying (Star Wars Holiday Special) and in the Holiday Special, the setting differs so greatly from the depiction of Kyyshak in episode III, how can it be canon? I avoided Splinter in the Minds Eye, the first EU novel, because it did not have Lucas' name on it and thus made me suspicious that it would contradict later canon in the films. By contrast I did read the Han Solo trilogy figuring (correctly) that Lucas would not revisit the early stories of Han's life and therefore not contradict them with later canon. While I really enjoyed Timothy Zahn's little trilogy it never once felt like a "real" Star Wars story to me. It was highly inventive and took us to some really interesting places but I never really believed that it revealed the actual fate of Han Luke and Leia only Mr. Zahn's conjecture of a possible fate for them. Like the Solo trilogy, I didn't think Lucas would ever make episodes 7-9 so I wasn't worried about these books contradicting canon. Oddly, I was right there too but not in the way I expected. I wonder if JJ Abrams movies will "feel" like canon. Or if, like Mr. Zahn's stories, they will not. As flawed as Lucas work often is, part of me feels like he is the one and only person who can make canon that "feels" like canon, and why I am worried about the Abrams film. Abrams film looks like a Star Wars film. Each time Lucas made a Star Wars film, it succeeded in looking so different from it predecessors it always took me some time to accept the new "canon", purely on a visual level. Nothing I have seen in the Abrams trailers challenges my notion of what a Star Wars film looks like (except maybe the red light sabre in the forest). In looking so much like a Star Wars film, I feel it already fails to be one. Abrams is a fan, of course he's making a movie that appeals to his fan sense. Lucas was never a fan of his creation in that way, and hence always pushed the boundaries of what it could look like. It seems like Abrams wants to make it familiar to us. Much of this begs a further point, some claim canon can only exist if produced by the original "author" or in the original medium. By this definition, to be canon it would have to be written by Lucas or presented as a motion picture. Some claim exceptions. In the Doctor Who adventure called "Armageddon Factor" the Doctor's name is given by an old classmate of his. Despite the fact that this was on an episode of the show, some claim it is not canon, but just a liberty of the author of the episode. By my definition above, it must be canon, but I can understand and even support the arguments of the people who claim otherwise. Suffice to say, determining what is and is not canon is muddy, at minimum. Obviously, I agree with the Disney/Abrams decision to abandon the EU as canon. It is too unwieldy and contradictory to include all of that as one makes new movies ("real" canon). The writing was always on the wall where the EU was concerned. New films often contradicted things presented previously in the EU, because Lucas never felt constrained by other people's ideas. They were free to play in his sandbox and some effort was made to keep it consistent, but not completely, and he never said he was beholden to them or their ideas. Unfortunately for Abrams, he's now about to tread in the water that Zahn first wadded in. Had Lucas stayed on to do 7-9, he would also have contradicted Zahn, I have no doubt, read on please: My grand theory of Star Wars. Episodes 4-6 tell the story of Luke Skywalker Episodes 1-6 tell the story of Darth Vader Episodes 1-9 tell the story of Palpatine I don't think Palpatine died in the second Death Star, at least in the way Lucas envisioned it. That is pure conjecture on my part, but, I think Abrams hated that idea, which is why, after he heard Lucas plan, he then rejected it (according to reports I read). Again, I only know that Abrams didn't like Lucas plan, I don't know what Lucas plan was, I'm only guessing. Lucas has told us (but he lies) that Artoo and Threepio are the only characters who will appear in all 9 films, so an argument could be made that Episodes 1-9 would be their story, but that seems like a weak arc to follow, IMO. My theory obviously goes against the Zahn idea. Given that Lucas had this supposed 1000 page treatment for the Star Wars (I doubt it, but assuming for the sake of argument, it existed), the Death Star was not supposed to be destroyed until Episode 6, but making Episode 4, he needed an ending, and didn't think 6 would happen anyway, so he stole the ending from 6 and stuck it on 4, then just repeated it for 6. Let's think about what Lucas was envisioning for this 9 movie story, if the Death Star was first destroyed in Episode 6. It's the first victory for the Rebels, not the end of the war. 7,8, and 9 tell how the war ends and the rebels succeed, so Palpatine, most probably, is still running the show, albeit in a weakened state after the destruction of the Death Star, which he was counting on to make up for the lack of bureaucracy after dissolving the Senate. Think also, the first Death Star is under construction at the end of Episode III, but not complete for another 15 odd years. How did they make a second one in only 4 odd years? There was never meant to be a second one, if Lucas hadn't blown up the first one too soon in the story. Anyway, we'll never know, but I feel the evidence exists to argue that 7-9 were supposed to be about the real/final Rebel victory, other wise, what's the point of those movies? Where was Lucas going, if not there? In Zahn's version, Palpatine died, but the Empire lived. I can see the appeal of that version, but I think Palpatine living is a much stronger story. For all his faults, Lucas has great ideas, and I think he'd go for the biggest, strongest arc for the 9 movie story, and what is stronger than the slow rise and slow fall of a great villain? The Skywalkers were always part of his plan, but a part that didn't work the way he engineered them to. The 9 film story was supposed to be his story. But that's just my opinion. We will never know. Abrams at the helm, rejecting Lucas plan, to me, it feels like Zahn all over again. It will be interesting, exciting, and might even be good, but I really don't think it will be Star Wars. That ship has sailed. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your great work examining these movies. I will continue to listen to your work and have started telling my friends too. You do the very best analysis of sci-fi/fantasy I have ever come across and look forward to hearing more.
I could be making this up, but I thought the intent was to use Wookies but the costs were too high. Fantastic Rumination, Fantastic Series. What's the next set?
I will admit I liked the Ewoks as a kid, but with time I felt hey really should have been replaced by Wookies instead. I did not know that that was the original idea, but I always thought it would have worked a lot better having Wookies in the final battle as opposed to cute and cuddly teddy-bears. It is and always will be so detrimental that they played a pivotal role in toppling the Galactic Empire. You might argue that it is the arrogance of the Empire, but seriously!? I can buy the guerilla warfare angle if it had been Wookies instead, and the Ewoks could possibly have worked as scouts, but not as front-line warriors. But there is no reason Wookies could have not filled both roles themselves.
I really don't understand why the Sarlacc, despite the horrific implications surrounding it, is one of the freakiest creatures in all of fiction. Really, it gives creatures from the Cthulhu Mythos a run for their money? Please.
Personally, I was disengaged by the controversial ending to this movie, wherein the Emperor explained that he built the Second Death Star when he saw Tarkin use the first one to blow up a planet, and he didn't want to see any more planets blown up, hence why he built the second one to blow up planets before they could be blown up. I dunno if it fit with all the themes of the story up until then, but hey, the rest of the work was so good. 3:00 There's a note of hope for the new movie. 4:30 "Hey, ink's not cheap, kids. The man runs a business." 31:50 It took me until about here to figure out you were referring to the scene in the ReLucas'd version. 39:00 Don't be silly, Arch, changing and touching up things is only for ruining scenes or undetectable things, not making up for measurable shortcomings. Again, it's like they rhyme... 42:40 One of my favorite episodes of Attack on Titan was, I found out later, entirely original for the anime and didn't happen at all in the manga. But it was so good. Actually, the author of the manga signed off on it too, so hey. Essentially it was 'because we have a run time to fill and so many episodes to do' and yet it was really moving and well-done. 1:03:30 So what you're saying is, essentially, you need character and emotion and story behind action scenes to engage you rather than (to quote a bitter man) "endlessly hitting glow-sticks inside of a video game". For some reason, throughout this rumination, only seeing your mouth move strongly reminded me of that Red Dwarf episode with Lister trying to pretend he's an alien captain by attaching eyeballs to his chin and turning the camera upside down and zooming in really close. I dunno.
Vader wanted to die, but like any proud warrior he didn't want to fall on his own sword, he wanted to be beaten, and having that at the hands of his own son was his peace, he knew there is still someone in the Galaxy, his own flesh and blood, that exceed him in every way possible.
UA-camVillain#127 If you take away Luke's victory you take away the peak of his character development: he defeats his father by using his own weapon, the Dark Side, but rejects it's power in the end, which is something Anakin couldn't do. Having Vader throw the fight makes Luke's rejection mean even less, for in this case it was never his victory to begin with, so there's no crowning moment when he rejects Palpatine's offer.
ua-cam.com/video/r61Q-lFu_nE/v-deo.html Also the Lorerun starts here: ua-cam.com/video/DkKXM7Jrgi8/v-deo.html And the Chillrun of the International version: ua-cam.com/video/qh3N6eKOjbI/v-deo.html
I want to guess how old you are Lorerunner. Now, I think you look much younger than this but based on things you've said I'll give it a shot. My father looked much younger than he was & so do I.So, I'm going to guess that you're about 45.
Buy a pizza from Little Jabba’s, because no one out pizzas the Hutt. (Haha ok I’m done, I just thought it was funny) I do agree with you Lore, on the original party scene. The new one sucked. The Thaw is one of my favorite Voyager episodes of all time.
Share my thoughts. Leia I think would be more entrenched to the Rebel cause. So if Leia was given the choice she would have probably died at the hands of Vader or Sideous. I think Sideous at the end was disappointed at luke for not choosing him. To him luke was another brainwashed Jedi of the old order. Not true perhaps but, that's what Sideous was probably thinking. Lastly, I have no sympathy for Vader. Anakin is Vader & Vader is Anakin. He did not fall to the dark side he chose and sacrificing himself to kill Sideous. does not redeem the evil has done.
Lmar daggerwolf I wont deny that the Jedi and Sith created the monster Vader Yet killing Sideous does not unto, redeem, or renew what he has done in the past. He could have walked away as Anakin to start again. Instead he chose to stay to be the murderer of thousand's.
Dan, you completely mis-represtented the problem people had with travel times in Game of Thrones, it wasn't simply that we weren't shown them traveling (I'm sorry but that's one of the worst strawmans I've ever heard) because people would travel VAST distances between scenes in the earlier seasons and no one complain. BECAUSE the REAL issue is the inconsistency in travel times, how some people would take 4 episodes to travel a short distance while AT THE SAME TIME others would travel VAST distances within one episode. Now the writers tried to explain this away by saying different storylines are not necessarily occurring concurrently therefore there are not happening at the same time, BUT that argument too falls a part when you examine it, because other storylines are referenced within different storylines or characters cross between storylines that DATE THEM as actually happening concurrently. I shake my head whenever someone throws out the strawman that people want to see people travel. Absolutely, positively no one is saying it, except for the strawman. You don't have to see people travel for travel times to make sense. You simply have to have some order of consistency. Many times in earlier seasons characters would travel vast distances between scenes or they would simply disappear for several episodes while traveling. YOU DON'T NEED TO SEE THEM TRAVEL to have some level of consistency. What you're complaining about with the ravens and dragons flying is more of the same, and just another symptom of the larger issue.
@ 1:30:35 Do you think “Many Bothans died...” would be spiteful response to the origin Rogue One fighters? Nonhuman spy masters. Human supremacy in the Emperor l. It’s good stuff.
1:06:23 -- Don't you actually mean "sapience" not "sentience"? I eat sentient life almost every day and so do a large number of life forms on this planet.
Sapience refers to wisdom, or the usage of knowledge and reason to inform your decisions. Sentience refers to the ability to perceive the environment around you. Arch says there's only one species of sentient life on Earth, as far as we are aware, which is not true. Demonstrably so. Had he used the term "sapient" it would have been harder to refute. As with anything in life though, nothing is a case of either/or. These things fall under a gamut.
+mornegroth Even single celled organisms have the ability to recive stimuli, its one of the sevwn criterion of life. And enything with a neevous system, so a planar worm for example has the ability to act with intent. These definirions are completley useless. What Ive jeard was self aware, and awere of its own self awareness.
I don't think you're understanding me. Acting with intent is not the same as sapience, but at this point we're discussing semantics. What matters is the proposition Arch made in the video about there only existing one species of sentient life on planet Earth as far as we are aware. The term "sentience" has a definition, which I've provided. You also gave two examples of sentient life. As long as you understand this definition you'll be able to pick out the flaw in Arch's statement. It's a rather small thing in an almost two hour long video but one I felt like pointing out.
Ewokes? I'm still confused why Mon Mothma talked about Bothans like they should mean something to the audience without knowing the EU. Would be enough to say "A lot of people died."
+Badjoke Maker She's talking to the other characters as if *they* know what Bothans are, that the audience does not actually is irrelevant; it serves the same purpose as the vaguer term 'people' with regard to the plot. However it adds another extra detail, much like IG38 and the other bounty hunters that Vader hires, who are also irrelevant (aside from Fett). It's all these little details that contribute to make Star Wars is the expansive and engaging (and real-feeling) universe it is.
I don't think any people with dwarfism watching this would appreciate being called a midget. Sorry but that kinda stood out to me when you said it, I was like wtf did he just say that? Kind of a derogatory term. Anyway, I really enjoyed this series of vids mate. Any hints on what you might be doing next? :3
Arch, I love your videos. But wearing the cloak almost the entire time was excessively irritating, as I typically watch your videos through and through instead of letting them play in the background and listening.
I love how unapologetically nerdy this guy is, seems like a real genuine dude love it
Absolutely. I’ve been watching his stuff for only a year and got the impression he was a genuine guy immediately. I also love when he talks about games and movies that loves. He exudes passion on a level rarely seen here on UA-cam. If you haven’t seen his Final Fantasy Rumination then absolutely do so. They’re amazing.
The fact that he doesn’t have more subscribers is practically an injustice.
Luke is his mother's son. Leia is her father's daughter. A nice Jungian thing in the Twins.
Arch, one thing that always struck me is that Luke isn't just Vader's son, he's also Padme's son. Given that Anakin turned to save Padme, but was unable to do so, I wonder how much Vader felt as if he was saving the part of Padme that was left in Luke there at the end in addition to the idea of saving his own son. Did he see Padme in Luke and perhaps couldn't bear to fail her again in some way? Not discounting Vader's concern for his son, but just an added layer there on top. It's just something I thought was an interesting angle.
"There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us, you blinked."
What is that from. Its awfully familiar.
I need no channel youtube!
Justice League Crisis of (on?) Two Earths between Batman and Owlman
I really liked this rumination Archengia. In particular, everything you said after the 1:26:00 mark reflects my thoughts about this movie as well.
I remember I first saw this when I was either five or six years old and throughout the entire movie I was waiting to see Luke and Vader go head to head, and to see how the Emperor was 'even stronger than darth Vader' as my Dad described it to me. And I remember at that age being completely engrossed in the inner (not just the physical conflict) between Vader and Luke that had been going on since Luke turned himself over. And when Luke shout's "No!" and starts going at Vadar and that spine chilling music starts playing I just remembered being completely glued to the screen. THEN add on top of that when the Emperor starts shooting FREAKING LIGHTING from his hands and that had to be the first time I was ever completely in awe of a fictional story, and probably was what caused me to become a writer and story teller myself. And again this scene was done so well that a bloody five year old could understand what was going on, and the significance of it.
I completely understand and agree with why you would say Return is your favourite Star Wars movie. Even now, after I've gotten old enough to dislike the Ewoks, that scene between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor has to still be my absolute favorite piece of film.
Spot on sir.
Alicia here -- just wanted to say, I loved this video, and "Return of the Jedi" is my favorite of the Star Wars movies for the same reasons you described at the end. Only you said it very eloquently and I still couldn't figure out how to say it at all. Thank you so much.
I'm not a Star Wars fan, but damn you make these movies sound WAY more interesting than I find them to be.
I like the Grim Reaper outfit. It makes the discussion visually more interesting!
random response: You say that Palpatine is himself responsible for Luke resisting the plunge to the dark side. Basically by saying "good, goooood" he made Luke self aware of what was happening and hence he could come to his senses and choose to stop doing 'evil'. I contend this is EXACTLY what Palpatine wants. To become a Sith you can't FALL to the dark side, you have to CHOOSE it. Giving in to your hate and anger, that is the way you unlock the power of the dark side, but being a Sith is choosing to embrace that power specifically for the agenda of ruling the galaxy to make things the way you want them to be. So Luke gave into the dark side and defeated Vader and The Emperor brought him back around to basically be like 'see what you can do when you embrace the POWER of the dark side, now CHOOSE to be my apprentice and I will teach you.'
I like Admiral Piett, he comes across as merely professional rather than just evil because, he could easily be working of the Rebels and not have to change his performance one bit. Also yeah taking a super star destroyer out with a Kamakasi attack is kinda silly although it does fit in with the WW2 style of space combat of Classic Starwars, a lightweight fighter did sink the USS Yorktown after all. I must admit, defending a ship of that size must be a challenge, I mean how many batteries would you need to cover all angles of attack just to defend the craft. I guess the idea of that was to show that the ships shields had been taken down, and then its defences simply overwhelmed by the amount of fighters attacking it to allow the Awing to hit the Bridge, a team effort then. It's the crashing into the Deathstar that doens't click with me. Maybe they could have had one of the Mon Calamari Cruisers ram it after the bridge was taken out and take it down that way, afterall, its not like the SSD would be be able manoeuvre very well.
I always figured that when Ackbar had them focus their fire he meant their engines to a degree, and when they lost the bridge they couldn’t switch over control fast enough to fight the gravity well.
But that’s just me.
I got to the point where you start talking about the sarlaac and I thought, "Wow, I wonder what he'd think if he came across one that was force sensitive?" There was indeed a very well written fanfic that explored this possibility in an alternative Star Wars continuity, albeit one so far into the future that everything up to a certain point is effectively cannon.
Wonderful video. Just marathoned all three movies yesterday. This one had some astounding moments, and despite its problems, probably ranks as my favorite.
Just a minor point. My personal theory is that the Emperor COULD sense Luke, but played dumb to Vader just in case the latter was planning his own coup as Sith are wont to do. If Vader was planning something that involved Luke and Palpatine claimed he couldn't sense him then that might fool Vader into thinking he had the upper hand. If Vader wasn't planning anything then there would be no problem. In addition, it also allowed Palpatine to ask 'I wonder if your thoughts on the matter are clear' and probe Vader's reaction to the implication that his sense of duty was waivering.
Yes I agree with the comment below, lord of the rings rumination would make my life.
Thinking about Obi-Wan's lie, it does interest me to keep an eye on him when I rewatch the scene in New Hope. He actually looks visibly uncomfortable when he says "I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father," looking away from Luke and shifting a little. Just after Luke asks how his father died, before Obi-Wan answers he takes a breath, as if hesitating or steeling himself. And I admit I might be seeing what I want to see but there's a moment, just before the line "he betrayed and murdered your father" when he looks uncomfortable.
I don't know exactly why this is, and I'm not saying that Lucas planned the whole reveal ahead of time, but I do wonder if it was deliberate, if Alec Guinness knew that his character was lying, or telling a half-truth. I'd speculate that it could have had something to do with the fake line "Obi-Wan killed your father" that hid the big reveal in Empire...
Of course he would be very uncomfortable, because he mutilated and almost killed his father!
Елизавета Самусева
Well yeah, we know that, but my point was did Alec Guiness know that at the time? :p
It makes his defenseless behavior on the Death Star even more justifiable!Buy the way, Anakin says to Sidious "His fate will be the same as ours" and all three of them died at the Death Star. Ironic :)
Luke's leitmotif is actually the main theme. The Force theme has less to do with a specific character (although it was initially tied to Obi-Wan back when A New Hope's score was done) and more to do with Jedi in general, hence why it's still used extensively in the prequels. The main theme however tends to be utilized as Luke's motif throughout the OT (and even in RotS when the separation of the twins occurs and Leia and Luke both get their themes played for their different scenes).
That hood :D
Hoodie Lore is cool.
I always thought of Luke’s plan as an examination of his new Jedi mindset. He tried every possible peaceful option first, while laying on different contingencies.
He started by laying Lando in as a back-up, and then sent in C-3PO & R2-D2 to bargain officially. That didn’t work, so Leia and Chewy went in to lay additional spies/infiltrators. Leia actually broke from the plan, in my mind, and was supposed to just be on hand as another mole. Luke comes in and requests to bargain, warns Jabba, and then gets captured. They get *out to the sarlacc* and Luke gives him a final chance, and when he’s denied once more, all the pieces fall into place.
Lando gets Han free and Chewy keeps him safe. Leia and the droids are close to beat/distract Jabba. Luke and R2 get the flashy lightsaber to draw attention and take out the mooks. And they sweep the board in a few minutes.
Of course, he was still inexperienced, which showed in both his injury and the fact Mara would have broken the plan with ease (as would any Imperial agent, because Luke was focused on just the crime lord situation).
I always loved the story of how Boba Fett yearly comes back to any sarlacc he knows about and bombards it from orbit, regardless if it’s alive.
Merry Christmas Arch, love your ruminations take care of your family and never do anything you don't feel comfortable with
Amazing final rumination, Arch. Thank you so much for doing these. And to me, it's always awesome to see Return of the Jedi get some love. Such an underrated movie which has been bashed way more than it deserves to be. It's my favorite Star Wars movie too.
Original trilogy plots-
A New Hope- Death Star, stop it
Empire-Luke vs Vader
Return- both
I see what you did there, Lucas
You're description of the Hutts as a generally superior species gave me the weird impression that Lucas was inspired by Leto Atreides II when he was a human-worm hybrid.
He most assuredly was. Dune was one of the seminal space operas, and SW is a generally an homage to all of those.
What a great Christmas gift! Thank you Arch!
Oho what a Christmas present!
Its funny in the music scene at jabbas I always hear the backup singers say "shes a nasty ho". Even as a kid I heard "shes a nasty ho". Now I cant watch it without saying it that way in my head.
They're also often known as Imperial-class, for some god-awful reason.
I agree so hard about Luke. I've long believed that Luke was the true chosen one, no matter what Lucas says. He truly seems (through both the movies and the EU) to be the only Jedi to have mastered his feelings. He is able to channel them, to use the Dark Side, without being consumed by it. In many ways he seems to better fit the idea of a Jedi who "will bring balance to the Force" than his father, because of this. It's nice to know someone else has a similar opinion!
+oiralire Or we could look at it as there never WAS a Chosen One, and that this whole prophecy was just a bunch of hokum (but in Lucas' case, a bunch of hokum construed just to overly lay all the importance on Anakin Skywalker)
+Eric Graham That was EU canon at some point, as I understand it... a long-running Sith subversion in order to distract the Jedi or something to that effect. Although, within the context of the movies (in which it is never actually confirmed that Anakin is the "Chosen One", this was something Lucas said in some interview or another) is what I really mean; that Luke better fit the bill, in some ways. Then, I have heard the argument that "hundreds of Jedi and only two Sith? Vader brought balance alright."
+oiralire Don't forget - aside from the hundreds of Jedi and 2 Sith, there were other disciples of the dark side as well that followed the Emperor (i.e.: Mara Jade)
I always thought that he eventually becomes the kind of Jedi that Kreia wanted the Exile to be - to understand both sides of the Force and not be fooled by either one.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie so far, minus Ewoks of course. Sure, the Empire is awesome, New Hope great but this is really true culmination of all those events and it is extraordinary. The final battle is simply better in my eyes than any in 4th and 5th. Every single scene except some on Tatooine and Endor is my highlight of the whole Trilogy.
Wookiees FTW! Putting Ewoks instead of them is a goddamn atrocity.
I wonder if he's ever going to cover The Force Unleashed meta-series...
Loved listening to all of these. Great insight into the Star Wars universe too. Would love to see you do LOTR and Hobbit ruminations.
I know that I'm quite late with this comment but I must say.This is the first time that I actually cried over the death of a villain. At this point we already know that there are others Star Wars movies, but no other villain character will come even close to Darth Vader.
@1:07:00 Gives a whole new meaning to the shirt with the eewak eating ramen out of a Stormtrooper helmet.
did anyone else notice how often he says "I digress"?
A great finale to the series.. hope you start on the next series next year.. maybe LOTR or KOTOR?
he already did kotor.
I have watched all of the star wars ruminations (some of them more than once because I had to show them to other people), but around the hour and a half mark the remark was made that those who watched that far in would probably know about something. I find it amusing because I have not actually watched the star wars movies with the exception of episode 2 and random scenes from the others... so from that perspective I say thank you Archengia for the awesome Ruminations.
Merry Christmas to us, eh? Thanks Arch!
Great final SW Rumination...well, maybe not final. We still have about a year till Ep. 7 and who knows, you might do another.=)
Could Leia have been seduced by the Dark Side? Interesting question. I would kind of lean towards 'No' in that Leia's upbringing might be enough to ground her. Also, given the fact that Vader and Tarkin forced her to watch Alderaan destroyed could be enough for her to see what happens when evil reigns. Did you ever read any of the Dark Horse 'Infinities' series on SW? In one of them, the Empire stops the Rebellion and Leia is captured and eventually she's trained by Vader in something of an apprentice-like fashion. Interesting story.
I've often wondered if the title 'Return of the Jedi' isn't just the fact that Luke triumphs over the Dark Side (Palpatine, etc.) but also it could also be the return of Anakin to the Light Side. In other words, coming back as a Jedi.
Once again, good job.
Most of the versions i've seen had subs for Jabba, but that's normal since we don't dub movies over here (thank goodness). We've started dubbing kids' movies in the last few years - and i spit on that with disgust, but grownups are still used to reading their way through a foreign language feature.
I might have talked about this before, but there's something about Stop-Motion animation for live action movies that makes it just uncanny enough to be scary. I think it has something to do with the low frame-rate, the way it stutters just enough that you can tell something is off, but don't know what. I first noticed it with ED-209, but the Rancor benefits from the same effect. It's just eerie, the way it moves.
As for fluff, there are good things you can do with it, i think, like using it to advance the plot without the viewer noticing, setting up a reveal, or just adding flavor. If it's there just for the sake of being there, though, i'd daresay it's just noise. In a movie that has about 120 minutes of run time, no less.
Ah, the Emperor's name. I think i must've first read his last name in some magazine talking about Episode I (i remember i'd thought we'd actually meet him before he turned evil). It was... odd. Now people are making a fuss about his first name coming out, but i remember i was pretty weirded out when i read "Palpatine". Once you took that step, his first name might as well have been Steve; more than half the magic was already gone. I understand they had to do it sooner or later, but there's a reason that whenever i encounter some entity of abject terror, i immediately call it Bob or Carl or Suzy. Things just aren't as scary when you give them a name. They become grounded, and that part of your imagination stops running wild, and can be put to better use, as in to how to deal with them.
I remember i was one of the people who asked who those weird fellows who were talking with Emperor were. I mean, they had no lines, no real camera presence, they were just there. And it took work and time and money to set them up too. I don't dislike that they were there, it just really struck me as odd back then.
About Wookies vs Ewoks, i agree 100%, but i think i can raise ya there. And granted, this is only after knowing the prequels and the EU, but remember all those 100+ Jedi that survived the Purge? Remember Vos and Tholme and Starstone and Jennir? Now imagine if during the Endor Ground Battle, some of those rebel troopers started drawing lightsabers. Cause if this Trilogy had been done later, that payoff right there would have been flat-out awesome, i think.
As for Luke handling the news of his parentage well, and i know this is going back to Empire, but i don't think Vader was the only one who underestimated Luke. Yoda and Obi-Wan might have missed just how much he had grown as a person too. Being under colossal pressure to succeed while believing himself inferior to the task before him was not a new thing to him at this point. He knew how to handle that, and it shows when he comes face to face with Vader. The determination across his face throughout the whole ordeal is something Anakin never came close to demonstrating in the whole trilogy, unless i missed something.
Btw, i would debate the notion that Luke wasn't strong enough to defeat Vader at this point. Granted, Vader was probably having some difficulty drawing power from the Dark Side, given the turmoil his emotions were in, but Luke was rather holding back as well. Not in the heat of the fight itself, but he would constantly evade confrontation, and have concentration to spare to use Reverse Dun-Moch on his opponent. He kicks Vader off his feet, down a flight of stairs, and then refuses to press the attack. No matter how unagressive, a Light Jedi of Luke's skill would not have gone as easy on Vader during that fight if he was fighting for real. And as you yourself have established, Luke is indeed capable of dipping his toe in the Dark Side without plunging right in.
Do i think Luke was superior? Not necessarily, but this is the Luke that was strong and wise enough to know when NOT to fight, in contrast with the Luke that was strong and wise enough to know when to give it his all no matter the situation, which was already very impressive back in Empire. So yeah, i think he could definitely have won that fight under his own power, in the long and grueling run.
I like how it actually turned out better, though.
so the great celebration feast that would would have taken place on endor, the main course would be the imperial army. well that's sort of horrifying.
Arch, I love your work!!!!! I only recently learned of your videos having first watched your Star Trek movie ruminations then Star Wars 1-6. I honestly think you are brilliant. Your deep insight into the stories on the screen is amazing. Though I don't know your age I am certain we are almost the same age. Not that it matters. I only mention it to note that, at least by age, we have some similar perspective. However there are some areas where we disagree, and I apologize if I come across negative in any way. I argue strongly, not because I believe I am right, but because I believe I have good arguments. Again, not correct arguments, just good ones. I disagree with you even though I think you are far more intelligent than I am in these matters, but again, regardless of how it comes across, I respect you greatly, and believe, you are quite possibly correct. However, I will try to convince you otherwise and I hope that respect for your opinion comes through, even when I suggest a different perspective, strongly.
The EU cannot be cannon. While the 6 films have plot holes and inconsistencies (how could Leia remember her mother? How could Kenobi fail to recognize the droids? I could go on.). The EU is filled with crap that is blatantly contradicted by canon and other EU or utterly, ridiculously un-Star Wars (can you see the green rabbit in the red/orange space suit that I am thinking of?). While there are times the EU borders on being canonical (Shadows of the Empire) other times it is plain annoying (Star Wars Holiday Special) and in the Holiday Special, the setting differs so greatly from the depiction of Kyyshak in episode III, how can it be canon? I avoided Splinter in the Minds Eye, the first EU novel, because it did not have Lucas' name on it and thus made me suspicious that it would contradict later canon in the films. By contrast I did read the Han Solo trilogy figuring (correctly) that Lucas would not revisit the early stories of Han's life and therefore not contradict them with later canon.
While I really enjoyed Timothy Zahn's little trilogy it never once felt like a "real" Star Wars story to me. It was highly inventive and took us to some really interesting places but I never really believed that it revealed the actual fate of Han Luke and Leia only Mr. Zahn's conjecture of a possible fate for them. Like the Solo trilogy, I didn't think Lucas would ever make episodes 7-9 so I wasn't worried about these books contradicting canon. Oddly, I was right there too but not in the way I expected. I wonder if JJ Abrams movies will "feel" like canon. Or if, like Mr. Zahn's stories, they will not. As flawed as Lucas work often is, part of me feels like he is the one and only person who can make canon that "feels" like canon, and why I am worried about the Abrams film. Abrams film looks like a Star Wars film. Each time Lucas made a Star Wars film, it succeeded in looking so different from it predecessors it always took me some time to accept the new "canon", purely on a visual level. Nothing I have seen in the Abrams trailers challenges my notion of what a Star Wars film looks like (except maybe the red light sabre in the forest). In looking so much like a Star Wars film, I feel it already fails to be one. Abrams is a fan, of course he's making a movie that appeals to his fan sense. Lucas was never a fan of his creation in that way, and hence always pushed the boundaries of what it could look like. It seems like Abrams wants to make it familiar to us.
Much of this begs a further point, some claim canon can only exist if produced by the original "author" or in the original medium. By this definition, to be canon it would have to be written by Lucas or presented as a motion picture. Some claim exceptions. In the Doctor Who adventure called "Armageddon Factor" the Doctor's name is given by an old classmate of his. Despite the fact that this was on an episode of the show, some claim it is not canon, but just a liberty of the author of the episode. By my definition above, it must be canon, but I can understand and even support the arguments of the people who claim otherwise. Suffice to say, determining what is and is not canon is muddy, at minimum.
Obviously, I agree with the Disney/Abrams decision to abandon the EU as canon. It is too unwieldy and contradictory to include all of that as one makes new movies ("real" canon). The writing was always on the wall where the EU was concerned. New films often contradicted things presented previously in the EU, because Lucas never felt constrained by other people's ideas. They were free to play in his sandbox and some effort was made to keep it consistent, but not completely, and he never said he was beholden to them or their ideas. Unfortunately for Abrams, he's now about to tread in the water that Zahn first wadded in. Had Lucas stayed on to do 7-9, he would also have contradicted Zahn, I have no doubt, read on please:
My grand theory of Star Wars.
Episodes 4-6 tell the story of Luke Skywalker
Episodes 1-6 tell the story of Darth Vader
Episodes 1-9 tell the story of Palpatine
I don't think Palpatine died in the second Death Star, at least in the way Lucas envisioned it. That is pure conjecture on my part, but, I think Abrams hated that idea, which is why, after he heard Lucas plan, he then rejected it (according to reports I read). Again, I only know that Abrams didn't like Lucas plan, I don't know what Lucas plan was, I'm only guessing. Lucas has told us (but he lies) that Artoo and Threepio are the only characters who will appear in all 9 films, so an argument could be made that Episodes 1-9 would be their story, but that seems like a weak arc to follow, IMO.
My theory obviously goes against the Zahn idea. Given that Lucas had this supposed 1000 page treatment for the Star Wars (I doubt it, but assuming for the sake of argument, it existed), the Death Star was not supposed to be destroyed until Episode 6, but making Episode 4, he needed an ending, and didn't think 6 would happen anyway, so he stole the ending from 6 and stuck it on 4, then just repeated it for 6. Let's think about what Lucas was envisioning for this 9 movie story, if the Death Star was first destroyed in Episode 6. It's the first victory for the Rebels, not the end of the war. 7,8, and 9 tell how the war ends and the rebels succeed, so Palpatine, most probably, is still running the show, albeit in a weakened state after the destruction of the Death Star, which he was counting on to make up for the lack of bureaucracy after dissolving the Senate. Think also, the first Death Star is under construction at the end of Episode III, but not complete for another 15 odd years. How did they make a second one in only 4 odd years? There was never meant to be a second one, if Lucas hadn't blown up the first one too soon in the story. Anyway, we'll never know, but I feel the evidence exists to argue that 7-9 were supposed to be about the real/final Rebel victory, other wise, what's the point of those movies? Where was Lucas going, if not there? In Zahn's version, Palpatine died, but the Empire lived. I can see the appeal of that version, but I think Palpatine living is a much stronger story. For all his faults, Lucas has great ideas, and I think he'd go for the biggest, strongest arc for the 9 movie story, and what is stronger than the slow rise and slow fall of a great villain? The Skywalkers were always part of his plan, but a part that didn't work the way he engineered them to. The 9 film story was supposed to be his story. But that's just my opinion.
We will never know. Abrams at the helm, rejecting Lucas plan, to me, it feels like Zahn all over again. It will be interesting, exciting, and might even be good, but I really don't think it will be Star Wars. That ship has sailed.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your great work examining these movies. I will continue to listen to your work and have started telling my friends too. You do the very best analysis of sci-fi/fantasy I have ever come across and look forward to hearing more.
I could be making this up, but I thought the intent was to use Wookies but the costs were too high. Fantastic Rumination, Fantastic Series. What's the next set?
Can you made rumination analysis on Episode 7?
HAHAHAHA best part 32:24 .. " one of these days im gonna stop saying... 'digress'.. i swear"
please dont, we love your rants
01:39:42 fart!
YAY! Arch joins the few fans that think Jedi is the best :P. I finally agree with Arch on something Kappa
I will admit I liked the Ewoks as a kid, but with time I felt hey really should have been replaced by Wookies instead. I did not know that that was the original idea, but I always thought it would have worked a lot better having Wookies in the final battle as opposed to cute and cuddly teddy-bears. It is and always will be so detrimental that they played a pivotal role in toppling the Galactic Empire. You might argue that it is the arrogance of the Empire, but seriously!? I can buy the guerilla warfare angle if it had been Wookies instead, and the Ewoks could possibly have worked as scouts, but not as front-line warriors. But there is no reason Wookies could have not filled both roles themselves.
I really don't understand why the Sarlacc, despite the horrific implications surrounding it, is one of the freakiest creatures in all of fiction. Really, it gives creatures from the Cthulhu Mythos a run for their money? Please.
Personally, I was disengaged by the controversial ending to this movie, wherein the Emperor explained that he built the Second Death Star when he saw Tarkin use the first one to blow up a planet, and he didn't want to see any more planets blown up, hence why he built the second one to blow up planets before they could be blown up. I dunno if it fit with all the themes of the story up until then, but hey, the rest of the work was so good.
3:00 There's a note of hope for the new movie.
4:30 "Hey, ink's not cheap, kids. The man runs a business."
31:50 It took me until about here to figure out you were referring to the scene in the ReLucas'd version.
39:00 Don't be silly, Arch, changing and touching up things is only for ruining scenes or undetectable things, not making up for measurable shortcomings. Again, it's like they rhyme...
42:40 One of my favorite episodes of Attack on Titan was, I found out later, entirely original for the anime and didn't happen at all in the manga. But it was so good. Actually, the author of the manga signed off on it too, so hey. Essentially it was 'because we have a run time to fill and so many episodes to do' and yet it was really moving and well-done.
1:03:30 So what you're saying is, essentially, you need character and emotion and story behind action scenes to engage you rather than (to quote a bitter man) "endlessly hitting glow-sticks inside of a video game".
For some reason, throughout this rumination, only seeing your mouth move strongly reminded me of that Red Dwarf episode with Lister trying to pretend he's an alien captain by attaching eyeballs to his chin and turning the camera upside down and zooming in really close. I dunno.
the robe is the single nerdiest thing i've ever seen.
Luke has a lot of Padmé in his nature, while Leia has a lot of Anakin's nature.
silly question what happen do the 501 legion after Vader pasting who next in command
"...and Palpatine dies"
*JJ LAUGHS*
I loved the Ewoks as a child I was laughing whenever they were on screen
Merry Christmas Arch and fellow Archenfans
LOTR and Hobbit would be great to see from you. Awesome Star Wars Videos.
Merry Christmas! Another great rumination series. What a way to end the year, right?
Love these!! I'd love to see and hear your ruminations on on The Force Awakens!! 👍
A 3rd great thing about the Ewoks is the “Yub Nub” song.
This was always my favorite as a kid simply because it had a lot of lightsaber battles lol.
Great Ending, i really like this series of videos
Thanks for these. Incredibly interesting :)
What is your opinion on the Despecialized Edition of the original trilogy?
+MugenHeadNinja It was pretty well done, though not my personal favorite edition.
+Lorerunner what edition do you recommend
Lorerunner hey have you read star wars Legacy? that takes place 195 years in the future, it is about the last Skywalker in the Galaxy
Lotr rumination please!
Vader wanted to die, but like any proud warrior he didn't want to fall on his own sword, he wanted to be beaten, and having that at the hands of his own son was his peace, he knew there is still someone in the Galaxy, his own flesh and blood, that exceed him in every way possible.
UA-camVillain#127 If you take away Luke's victory you take away the peak of his character development: he defeats his father by using his own weapon, the Dark Side, but rejects it's power in the end, which is something Anakin couldn't do.
Having Vader throw the fight makes Luke's rejection mean even less, for in this case it was never his victory to begin with, so there's no crowning moment when he rejects Palpatine's offer.
You missunderstand tzhat statement, a prideful warrior who wants to die, would also never throw a fight, because it would be a affront for him
Do you have plans for more Star Wars Ruminations, maybe one talking about the Star Wars Expanded Universe or the Thrawn Trilogy?
That would be good to see. Or if not book trilogy ruminations, than thoughts on the big EU character arcs or something.
Feeling joy watching these, full of original Extended Universe tidbits. No "but in the Disney canon, ...."
Was it deliberate that the robe covered more of his face in each video?
im going to see the movies again, great videos
Your description of the Imperial advisors reminds me of a point by point comparison of the US Senate/ House.
I just realized something. You should do a Rumination of Spaceballs.
Another great rumination!
Am I ever going to get a rumination on Final Fantasy 12?
ua-cam.com/video/r61Q-lFu_nE/v-deo.html Also the Lorerun starts here: ua-cam.com/video/DkKXM7Jrgi8/v-deo.html And the Chillrun of the International version: ua-cam.com/video/qh3N6eKOjbI/v-deo.html
1:15:20 It is fatalism. It is very common even among adults.
1:20:00 Very wise!
THE EWOKS WERE CUTE!!
Am I the only one who finds Wookiees cute?
Archengeia No they're cute too :D
Would love to hear some ruminations on EU stuff. I have heard luke gets pretty wild in some of the books.
Is the phantom menace video private?
Arch, are you suggesting that Ultron should be fitted with a restraining bolt? ;-)
I want to guess how old you are Lorerunner. Now, I think you look much younger than this but based on things you've said I'll give it a shot. My father looked much younger than he was & so do I.So, I'm going to guess that you're about 45.
"I can't see shit!"
cute, fuzzy and they eat people
You can’t see with the robe hood… :-)
Saarlac Pitt, brother of Brad
Buy a pizza from Little Jabba’s, because no one out pizzas the Hutt.
(Haha ok I’m done, I just thought it was funny)
I do agree with you Lore, on the original party scene. The new one sucked.
The Thaw is one of my favorite Voyager episodes of all time.
Share my thoughts.
Leia I think would be more entrenched to the Rebel cause. So if Leia was given the choice she would have probably died at the hands of Vader or Sideous.
I think Sideous at the end was disappointed at luke for not choosing him. To him luke was another brainwashed Jedi of the old order. Not true perhaps but, that's what Sideous was probably thinking.
Lastly, I have no sympathy for Vader. Anakin is Vader & Vader is Anakin. He did not fall to the dark side he chose and sacrificing himself to kill Sideous. does not redeem the evil has done.
Lmar daggerwolf
I wont deny that the Jedi and Sith created the monster Vader
Yet killing Sideous does not unto, redeem, or renew what he has done in the past.
He could have walked away as Anakin to start again. Instead he chose to stay to be the murderer of thousand's.
+Infernal460 i agree 100% on top of that vadar killing the empire is basicly EXACTLY the same as when he killed mace windu more selfish then anything
***** The point is he did not redeem himself by killing sideous. He does not undo the damage and misery he caused.
Ha love the EU...So much weird fun stuff :P
Yeah, Wookies would’ve been way cooler than Ewoks.
Dan, you completely mis-represtented the problem people had with travel times in Game of Thrones, it wasn't simply that we weren't shown them traveling (I'm sorry but that's one of the worst strawmans I've ever heard) because people would travel VAST distances between scenes in the earlier seasons and no one complain. BECAUSE the REAL issue is the inconsistency in travel times, how some people would take 4 episodes to travel a short distance while AT THE SAME TIME others would travel VAST distances within one episode. Now the writers tried to explain this away by saying different storylines are not necessarily occurring concurrently therefore there are not happening at the same time, BUT that argument too falls a part when you examine it, because other storylines are referenced within different storylines or characters cross between storylines that DATE THEM as actually happening concurrently.
I shake my head whenever someone throws out the strawman that people want to see people travel. Absolutely, positively no one is saying it, except for the strawman. You don't have to see people travel for travel times to make sense. You simply have to have some order of consistency. Many times in earlier seasons characters would travel vast distances between scenes or they would simply disappear for several episodes while traveling. YOU DON'T NEED TO SEE THEM TRAVEL to have some level of consistency.
What you're complaining about with the ravens and dragons flying is more of the same, and just another symptom of the larger issue.
Pull your hood up it looks silly and I feel weird trying to make eye contact lol. Can you see thru it? There you go 16:00
TFW I'm the only one who likes Ewoks a lot.
@ 1:30:35
Do you think “Many Bothans died...” would be spiteful response to the origin Rogue One fighters?
Nonhuman spy masters. Human supremacy in the Emperor l.
It’s good stuff.
1:06:23 -- Don't you actually mean "sapience" not "sentience"? I eat sentient life almost every day and so do a large number of life forms on this planet.
The difference is not well defined. Is a dog sapient? Is an orangutan? Is a raven?
Sapience refers to wisdom, or the usage of knowledge and reason to inform your decisions. Sentience refers to the ability to perceive the environment around you.
Arch says there's only one species of sentient life on Earth, as far as we are aware, which is not true. Demonstrably so. Had he used the term "sapient" it would have been harder to refute.
As with anything in life though, nothing is a case of either/or. These things fall under a gamut.
+mornegroth Even single celled organisms have the ability to recive stimuli, its one of the sevwn criterion of life. And enything with a neevous system, so a planar worm for example has the ability to act with intent. These definirions are completley useless. What Ive jeard was self aware, and awere of its own self awareness.
I don't think you're understanding me. Acting with intent is not the same as sapience, but at this point we're discussing semantics.
What matters is the proposition Arch made in the video about there only existing one species of sentient life on planet Earth as far as we are aware. The term "sentience" has a definition, which I've provided. You also gave two examples of sentient life. As long as you understand this definition you'll be able to pick out the flaw in Arch's statement.
It's a rather small thing in an almost two hour long video but one I felt like pointing out.
mh, we should find an alternative to "but i digressed".
Ewokes? I'm still confused why Mon Mothma talked about Bothans like they should mean something to the audience without knowing the EU. Would be enough to say "A lot of people died."
+Badjoke Maker She's talking to the other characters as if *they* know what Bothans are, that the audience does not actually is irrelevant; it serves the same purpose as the vaguer term 'people' with regard to the plot. However it adds another extra detail, much like IG38 and the other bounty hunters that Vader hires, who are also irrelevant (aside from Fett). It's all these little details that contribute to make Star Wars is the expansive and engaging (and real-feeling) universe it is.
So what's up next as Star Wars goes? I know you did some of the games, but the discussion and the ideas are too many to stop here.
Midget actor's of America? Sounds wrong
I don't think any people with dwarfism watching this would appreciate being called a midget.
Sorry but that kinda stood out to me when you said it, I was like wtf did he just say that?
Kind of a derogatory term.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this series of vids mate. Any hints on what you might be doing next? :3
Yeah it's like the N word for dwarfs.
Any dwarf that would get mad at that is SHORT tempered!!!
***** Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!
I think its only the censorious asshats pushing their shit down our throat who want you to think that.
Luke never was Vader's son, nor was Leia his daughter. They were Anakin's children.
Arch, I love your videos. But wearing the cloak almost the entire time was excessively irritating, as I typically watch your videos through and through instead of letting them play in the background and listening.
I honestly thought it was excessively BADASS.
Can something be Badass and irritating at the same time?
Noble VI
It's all a matter of perspective.