Tag: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Happy Weekend my friends!

Last week, I wrote of my struggles to get through Ronin: A Star Wars Visions novel. I’m sad to report I haven’t made much progress on that book, but I still have hope I will finish it…someday.

In the meantime, I picked up Master & Apprentice, by Claudia Gray. It’s a re-read, but it’s one of my favorite SW canon books by one of my favorite SW authors. With the recent news that Hayden Christiansen will be in the Ahsoka series (OMG, yay!), it got me thinking about the upcoming Obi-Wan series, which naturally got me thinking about Obi-Wan himself, which led me to picking up this book. It’s a book about Padawan Obi-Wan and his relationship with Qui Gon Jinn, and an important mission, of course. I wrote about my thoughts on this book on my other blog The Star Wars Reader (which I’ve been shamefully neglecting lately), and you can read it here if you’d like.

This contains: Master & Apprentice (Star Wars)
This one’s definitely worth a reread.

On my Kindle, I’m still reading the middle-grade book Moving Target by Jason Fry and Cecil Castellucci, a story about Leia between Empire and Return of the Jedi. I’m enjoying it and will probably finish it this coming week and share more of my thoughts on it then.

In movies, continuing with the train of thought above with Obi-Wan, in reading Master & Apprentice I thought about The Phantom Menace, and so decided to watch it. Which naturally led to Attack of the Clones and then of course Revenge of the Sith. So there was an unplanned prequel marathon this week, and I keep thinking, How could I have not loved these back in the day? Lol. I was young and ignorant, prejudiced against anything new in Star Wars. I’m so glad I’ve seen the error of my ways. 🙂 I’ve learned, in my dotage, that I’m so happy with any kind of Star Wars that is offered, that they are gifts, and I am grateful, lol.

I will do what I must, and rewatch the prequels.

Anyway, in Marvel: I watched the 2015 version of Fantastic Four. I thought I’d check out this updated version, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it as much. And I was right. I guess this is supposed to be a more “woke” version, and Michael B. Jordan does add diversity to the group, while Sue Storm isn’t Reed’s romantic interest here, or as sexualized as Jessica Alba’s Sue was (yeah, I admit that was kind of cringy). But here’s the thing: the fun factor is absolute zero. There’s no chemistry whatsoever between the characters. And Dr. Doom’s madness stems more from a hatred of the world rather than a personal hatred of the F4, which makes him a bit…dull. The whole thing was dull, in fact, lol. I don’t see why it even had to be remade. I’m assuming it was kind of a flop, because there’s been no more movies with this crew, and I’m glad. I want a reunion with the original cast–now that would be fun!

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Not very fantastic.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Fan Art: Padme Amidala

I had a surprisingly hard time finding Padme art that I really liked. Most of the fan art I found was simply regurgitations of Padme in her famous outfits. Which are gorgeous (check out my post on Padme’s fashion sense here), but not quite what I was looking for. I wanted to see her in a different light, if possible, rather than just as a paper doll or Anakin’s love. Her character deserves so much more than that. Anyway, here’s a few that I found that I liked:

Padme is a warrior in her own right in Jake Bartok’s medieval Star Wars series (which I adore, if you haven’t figured that out by now).

Jake Bartok on twitter.com

Okay, so this is Padme in her famous Naboo picnic outfit (which is one of my favorites), but I loved the background and just thought it was lovely.

Julia Harrison on reddit.com

This is the cover of the paperback version of the first Padme book by E.K. Johnston called Queen’s Shadow. I love this image, how Padme looks sophisticated and determined, and the view of Coruscant in the background. The book is pretty good, too, more of a character study than anything else, but I liked it.

Padme Amidala on Coruscant, by Toni Foti

I guess Padme as a Jedi is a thing in some parts of the fandom? It’s an odd thought to me, but I like this image of her with a lightsaber, another instance of her as a warrior in her own right.

Jedi Padme by martinacecilia on deviantart.com

I do believe this is a take on an outfit she wore in an episode of Clone Wars (don’t ask me which one, please!). I like the action shots of Padme, as a woman taking control and getting shit done.

Darren Tan at artstation.com

What do you think of these images? Do you have any favorite Padme fan art? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Friday Fashion Show: Padme Amidala

Today I just wanted to do something fun and frivolous, and thought I’d put on a Padme Amidala fashion show. She’s the best-dressed woman in the galaxy, and absolutely beautiful. I haven’t included any outfits she wore as Queen of Naboo (maybe some other time), but just the ones she wore as Padme–Senator, wife, mother. These are by no means all of them; this post would probably go on forever, as every new scene seemed to require a new outfit.

No matter what the occasion, Padme did it in style.

PADME AMIDALA PURPLE SENATORIAL GOWN tutorial
Anakin’s first glimpse of her after ten years.
Padme Amidala (clone) ❤ liked on Polyvore featuring c padme amidala and movie
I’d choose simple garb for traveling, but not Padme.
The backless lake dress is one of my favorites.
This picnic dress is another one of my favorites.
I call this one the Dominatrix outfit. Poor Anakin.
Wish I was this gorgeous in the morning.
The Tatooine outfit marries desert sensibility with understated fashion. I love this one.
Perfect for aggressive negotiations.
The wedding dress of dreams.
The precursor to Leia’s buns.
Beautiful nightgown, but how does she sleep with those pearls?
I love the copper headpiece and the hairdo here, but the outfit, not so much.
Natalie Portman | Padmé Amidala | Star Wars
This is so lovely, but I can’t remember it in the movie. Cutting room floor?
Senator Padme Amidala, 'StarWars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'. Final senate appearance headpiece, designed by Trisha Biggar.
“So this is how liberty dies.” Her hairpiece is similar to the Rebellion/Resistance symbol.
Padme Amidala's "water gown". This is Episode III, during her funeral. She's wearing the charm of the necklace Anakin gave her! It's on her ring.
Even in death, she’s stunning.
And who can forget the wings of Clone Wars?

Thank you for attending the Padme Amidala fashion show, I hope you enjoyed it.

What’s your favorite Padme outfit? Let me know in the comments!

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Like to read Star Wars? Check out my sister blog The Star Wars Reader. I regularly review Star Wars books, both Canon and Legends.

My Five Favorite Things About Revenge of the Sith

I’m continuing my series on my five favorite things about the Star Wars movies with Revenge of the Sith. Take a look at my previous posts on The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

Favorite Scene

The Opera Scene. To me, this is the most pivotal scene in the film, when Palpatine tells Anakin about Darth Plagueis and his ability to stop people from dying. It plays right into Anakin’s darkest fears and desires, luring him into Palpy’s hands. In a movie full of battles, duels, and chases, this quiet scene of dialogue is the key that opens the door to Anakin’s fall. It’s brilliantly sinister, and the weird Mon Calamari opera “music” only adds to the dread one feels in this scene, reminding us that we ourselves are watching a tragic opera play out before us.

Favorite Duel

Battle of the Heroes. Is there really any question on this one? This movie is chock-full of lightsaber duels: Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Dooku, Obi-Wan vs. Grievous, Yoda vs. Darth Sidious. They’re all fantastic, impressive and exciting as any lightsaber duel, but this one is special–it’s between two individuals who were once friends, and are now enemies. It’s heartbreaking to watch, and the fact that we know the inevitable outcome makes it worse.

Favorite Line

Funniest Moment

A coughing cyborg. Revenge of the Sith isn’t exactly a laugh-fest, but I’ve always gotten a kick out of General Grievous, the cyborg who has a pesky cough. On first viewing, I thought he was a robot and didn’t understand how he could cough. Once I figured out he actually has some lungs in there, it made more sense. It was only recently that I learned Grievous was once a man, and in the book Labyrinth of Evil it explains how he came to be the cyborg we all know and love. I’m still not sure where the cough comes from, though. Does he stress-smoke death sticks?

Most Impactful Character

Palpatine/Darth Sidious. It was a close race between Palpy and Anakin here, but I had to concede to the Dark Lord of the Sith. The whole Skywalker saga hinges on his machinations. The man is an evil genius, bringing all his long-awaited plans into action and fruition in this climactic film. Kudos to the amount of patience required, the long planning, the brilliant acting job of being the mild-mannered Chancellor that this guy employed to play his Jedi-destroying, Galactic Empire-creating endgame. He’s crafty, he’s cagey, he’s powerful, and he absolutely loves being the evil bastard he is. He’s got the evil cackle to prove it. None of the conflict and pain evident in other “villains” such as Vader and Kylo. Nope, he’s the real deal, and he proves it in this best film of the prequels.

I love all the prequels, but ROTS is on a whole other level that is just spectacular, and picking all the favorite moments was difficult. Order 66 gutted me, Padme’s pain choked me up (no pun intended), Obi-Wan is, as always, wonderful. And Hayden Christensen’s performance of the tortured Anakin was incredible. His turn really does break one’s heart.

What are your favorite moments in Revenge of the Sith? Comment below and we’ll talk about it!

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Like to read Star Wars? Check out my sister blog The Star Wars Reader. I regularly review Star Wars books, both Canon and Legends.

My Five Favorite Things About Attack of the Clones

I’m continuing with my “Five favorite things” theme on all the films with Episode 2, Attack of the Clones. You can check out my five favorites of The Phantom Menace here.

Favorite Scene

The Battle of Geonosis. This is the climax of the movie, when all the s**t hits the fan. For me, it really starts with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme battling the beasties, and then the Jedi arrive led by Mace Windu. AND THEN Yoda arrives with the clones to mop things up. It’s really a great sequence of events, a lot of action, battles, and things blowing up. AND THEN, it all leads to…

Favorite Duel

Yoda vs. Dooku. Obi-Wan and Anakin get to duel Dooku first, but they fail spectacularly and quite quickly, with Anakin losing an arm and Obi-Wan getting a boo-boo on his leg. (I have this sneaky feeling that Dooku has a soft spot for Obi-Wan, as he’s his Padawan’s Padawn. Kind of like a grandson). But then Yoda arrives to fight HIS Padawan, and the battle really begins. This is the first time we’ve seen Yoda fight with a lightsaber, and it’s fantastic. He limps in with his walking stick, and then proceeds to jump and whirl and fight circles around Dooku. I think I laughed and clapped with delight the first time I saw this duel, it made me so happy. Dooku knew he was in trouble and had to distract Yoda by threatening Obi-Wan and Anakin, and then he made his escape. So cool.

Favorite Line

“The day we stop believing democracy works is the day we lose it.” –Queen Jamilla of Naboo

Funniest Moment

Most Impactful Character

Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan simply rocks in this movie. He does some Jedi-CSI investigating to find Kamino and discovers the clone army, finds Jango, fights him, and follows him to Geonosis. Without all this, the Jedi never would have rooted out Dooku and his Separatist cronies. And the only way any of this occurred is because Obi-Wan “we’re not getting into an investigation” Kenobi dived out Padme’s window to follow the assassin droid.

In a lot of ways, I think Attack of the Clones, out of all the movies, is the most fun.

What are your favorite AOTC moments? Comment below and we’ll talk about it!

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Like to read Star Wars? Check out my sister blog The Star Wars Reader. I regularly review Star Wars books, both Canon and Legends.

My Five Favorite Things About The Phantom Menace

I thought I’d go through all the Star Wars films and list a few of my favorite things about them, because why not? One a week, starting with Episode 1 all the way through 9, as well as Rogue One and Solo. Let’s start, shall we?

Favorite Scene

This isn’t a specific scene, but I loved how Padme Amidala disguised herself as one of her own handmaidens, and Sabe often was dressed as the Queen. It was smart, clever, and fooled almost everyone–I’m still up in the air as to whether the Jedi were fooled or not. They looked fairly surprised when Padme came forward and admitted to being the Queen when she spoke with Boss Nass, but I’ve seen others claim that they knew. What do you think?

Favorite Duel

This one’s pretty easy, because there’s only one duel of note in this film: Duel of the Fates, between Qui Gon, Obi-Wan, and Maul. It’s the first major lightsaber duel of the prequels, and it’s graceful, frenetic, and deadly in a way that the duels from the OT weren’t, like a dance. Maul’s double-bladed red lightsaber is awesome, and his moves are equally impressive. Qui Gon’s death at his hand is heartbreaking, as is the tender way Obi-Wan cradles him and promises to train Anakin right before he dies. Obi-Wan, by the way, proves he’s a master lightsaber duelist when he kills Maul, the first Sith the Jedi have encountered in a thousand years. Well, we thought he killed him, and so did Obi-Wan.

It’s also interesting to note that Dave Filoni himself pointed out that it’s called the Duel of the Fates because it’s Anakin’s fate that hangs in the balance with this duel. If Qui Gon had not been killed, would Anakin have eventually turned the Dark side? Perhaps not, as Qui Gon might have been the strong father figure that Anakin needed, whereas Obi-Wan was more of a brother or friend and inevitably failed in that role. And I’m not saying it’s all Obi-Wan’s fault Anakin turned; I think it’s obvious several factors were at work.

So it’s an important duel for that reason; not to mention the fact that Maul actually survives, and his injuries at the hand of Obi-Wan fuels his rage and his vendetta against him throughout much of Clone Wars and Rebels.

Favorite Line

Some people should heed Qui Gon's words more often.

Funniest Moment

Jar Jar Binks is definitely the comedy relief in this movie, and I have to say that although I thought he was pretty silly when I first saw this back in the day, I’ve come to love the goofy guy. There’s an innocence to him that’s touching, and he does help the cause in many ways. I’d have to say the funniest moments are the ones during the Battle of Naboo, where he clumsily swings weapons around and actually does some damage. It’s not laugh-out-loud, certainly, but gets a little chuckle out of me.

Most Impactful Character

Qui Gon Jinn wins this category. He’s pretty much the dramatic center of the story, and he’s always been one of my favorite Jedi. But I’ve decided to make this category the most impactful character, and not necessarily my favorite. Qui Gon is impactful here because it’s he who discovers Anakin (for better or for worse), frees him from slavery, and brings him back to Coruscant. It’s Qui Gon who pleads for Obi-Wan to train Anakin as a Jedi. It’s Qui Gon who steadfastly believes that Anakin is the Chosen One. Basically, if it wasn’t for Qui Gon, there would be no Skywalker saga; there would be no Star Wars. That’s quite impactful.

So, if I was forced to rank the Star Wars movies (and I see a lot of people ranking them on fan sites), this one would probably be last, as it often is with a lot of fans. Poor Phantom Menace. But I hate ranking the films, as I do love all of them in their own way. It’s like ranking your children, or picking a favorite child. I find something to love in all the Star Wars movies, and TPM has a lot to love.

What are some of your favorites in The Phantom Menace? Comment below and we’ll talk about it!

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Like to read Star Wars? Check out my sister blog The Star Wars Reader. I regularly review Star Wars books, both Canon and Legends.

Catching Up on Clone Wars

Once upon a time, I didn’t hold the Star Wars prequels in very high regard. When they came out around twenty years ago, I was disappointed and not impressed. I grew up with the Original Trilogy, you see, and I didn’t get a Round Two of the OT. Why I expected this is beyond me, but I quickly dismissed them and didn’t give them another thought, really.

When the sequel trilogy came out, I absolutely LOVED them, and they plunged me back into a Star Wars obsession I haven’t experienced since I was a kid. This caused me to explore all manner of Star Wars media, and have since realized we’re living in a golden age of SW, in my opinion. I caught up on Rogue One (amazing!) and Solo (fun!), watched The Mandalorian (cool!), and have since read several canon books (see my sister blog, The Star Wars Reader, for my book reviews). I’ve even rewatched the prequels and found a new appreciation for them. It’s all great, it’s all fun, and I’m loving every minute of it.

However, I hadn’t watched The Clone Wars, which I was hearing all about in my social media feeds, especially the last upcoming Season 7. Up until then I hadn’t seriously considered watching it, as it dealt with prequel-era stuff, and, well, it was a cartoon, right? “I ain’t watching no cartoon!” I told myself.

Get some Star Wars The Clone Wars wallpaper HD images of Ahsoka Tano Darth Maul Star Wars season 7 animated TV show art Cover Screenshots to use as iPhone android wallpaper phone backgrounds #CloneWars #StarWarsCloneWars #StarWars #TVshow #android #phone #wallpaper #backgrounds #download #AndroidWallpaper
Ahsoka

But the hype leading up to Season 7 was compelling and caught my attention. What’s the big deal? I wondered. People my age (the other side of 40) were watching this “cartoon” and loving it. I got the sneaking suspicion I was missing out on something important.

So I watched the first few episodes on Disney+. And while the animation was impressive (not cartoonish at all, but more like CGI video game kind of stuff), as far as the storylines went, I thought, “Meh.” What I wanted was the good stuff I was hearing about in Season 7. So I started there: I watched Season 7 first.

Star_Wars on Instagram: “Clone Wars:season 7 Anakin Skywalker . . . . . . #clonewars #starwars #disneyplus #disneyworld #anakinskywalker #season7 #disney #lightside”
Anakin

And was blown away by what I saw. I was familiar enough with the Star Wars universe and the characters not to be totally lost, and it was pretty damn amazing. This was movie-quality stuff, and the last few episodes were gripping and tragic, the other side of Order 66 that we don’t see in Revenge of the Sith. I liked the character of Ahsoka, and absolutely loved Captain Rex and the Clones, who up until then were just faceless drones to me. I needed to know more about them all, and so I decided to watch Season 6. And then Season 5. And 4, and so on.

I was watching it backwards, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t believe I had been missing out on this great Star Wars material. I’m obsessed. I love the Mandalorian arcs–I now know more about the Dark Saber, which showed up at the end of The Mandalorian (I had no idea what it was, and was like, huh? Wat dat?). I love that Obi-Wan had a love interest (who knew?). I’m fairly in love with Obi-Wan myself now; I love his quips, his courage, his kindness, and his strength in adhering to the Jedi Code.

The dark side is doing selfies,why not us?
Obi-Wan

And I definitely like Anakin much more in Clone Wars than in the movies. No disrespect to Hayden Christensen, who is a fine actor, but the character of Anakin just never clicked with me. He’s much more likable in Clone Wars, which only makes his fall to the Dark Side more tragic to me. The clues are there, but for the most part, he’s a great character here.

I admit, I skipped a few episodes, namely the droid adventures, and a few with Ahsoka and the younglings. Some arcs are more interesting than others. I especially love the ones about the Clones, Rex and Echo and Fives, and so many others. My heart broke with 99, and the Bad Batch were a scream.

Clone Wars First Look: "Old Friends Not Forgotten" | StarWars.com
Captain Rex

Basically, Clone Wars caused me to fall in love with prequel-era Star Wars, which is a great gift. I’m looking forward to watching Rebels, as well, and gaining even more appreciation for Rebellion-era Star Wars. It’s all great, it’s all fun, and I’m so lucky to have this galaxy far, far away in my life.

MaulFrk — spockvarietyhour: Maul showing off his legs
Darth Maul

Monday Musings: What I Love About the Prequels

5 Things the Star Wars Prequels Did Right

Okay, so I’m going to be upfront about this here: I’ve never been a huge fan of the prequels.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let me explain!

So I was a kid when the original trilogy came out, and to me, it was the coolest thing since pockets. Those films engraved themselves on my young mind permanently, and not much else could live up to them.

So when the prequels came out, I was in my late twenties. I went to the movie theater to watch all three films with my young stepson, and he loved them. He was a kid, and like me before him, they impressed themselves on his awe-struck mind. Me? Not so much. Sure, there were great special effects. Dizzying lightsaber duels. And hello? Darth Vader’s backstory. But no “original” characters for me to connect with. And I was a little too old to get the hots for Hayden Christensen. Well, maybe not, but it just didn’t happen. They just didn’t capture me.

Well, it’s been over 20 years, and I think it’s time for a re-evaluation. I’m determined to love everything about Star Wars, and though I may not have adored the prequels, I thought I’d rewatch them and see what I can find to love.

Here’s what I found:

  • Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. If hots were to be had, it’s for this guy. He was perfect as Obi-Wan, right down to Alec Guinness’ accent. I also love that attack stance of his.
Après des années de rumeurs, il semblerait que Lucasfilm soit était en train d’enclencher l’hyperespace vers une série Star Wars spin-off centré sur Obi-Wan Kenobi avec Ewan McGregor. Depuis la production de Solo: A Star Wars Story, la firme semblait réticente au fait de produire un nouveau spin-off inspiré de l’univers Star Wars. Mais à […] #SérieTV #D23Expo, #Disney, #DisneyPlus, #EwanMcGregor, #Lucasfilm, #StarWars
  • General Grievous. I can’t help it, I get a kick out of this guy.
General Grievous
  • Those gold headsets. Anakin and Obi-Wan look like princes with gold headbands. In fact, everything about this world is pristine, slick, and stream-lined. It glitters. It’s a different look from the run-down, cobbled-together look of the Rebellion, and it’s nice to see for a change.
star wars revenge of the sith - Google Search
  • Padme’s wardrobe.This girl’s got my vote for Best-Dressed out of the entire Star Wars saga. Whether as Queen of Naboo, a Republic Senator, or Anakin’s wife, she’s gorgeous and dressed to the nines. Even fighting and wounded. Even first thing in the morning. Even pregnant. Even dead. GORGEOUS.
It’s no secret that I love the Prequels, Padmé Amidala, and oh so much of her gorgeous wardrobe.  Therefore, it was inevitable that I would decided to torture myself by making myself rank all…
  • Badass Yoda. CGI Yoda rocks. I loved watching him flit around with his lightsaber fighting Count Dooku, and then Palpie.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
  • Palpie with a lightsaber. We’re so used to seeing the Emperor just sitting on his throne in his dark hood, cackling, we forget that he’s a Sith Lord with lightsaber skills. So cool to see him batting around that lightsaber against Windu, and then Yoda.
Palpatine's return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker took fans by surprise - but Lucasfilm has been hinting at it for years.
  • John Williams’ soundtrack. John Williams is a genius no matter what the trilogy, and we know we’re watching Star Wars with this soundtrack. The choral work in ROTS is wonderful, like a Greek chorus singing the tragedy that is inevitable. Fabulous.
John Williams Composer 🎶🎼🎶🎵
  • Revenge of the Sith. Clearly the best of the trilogy. No wincing whatsoever. It’s like the two previous films were throat-clearing, and now we’re finally at the heart of the story. The final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin is epic, and watching Anakin become Vader is tragic and disturbing. (My only problem with ROTS is the handling of Padme, which you can read about in my Women of Star Wars series.)
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Disney+ poster

So, upon re-evaluation, I have to conclude that I do, indeed, like the prequels. In fact,

Not just the Original Trilogy, but the Prequels, and the Sequels too - PrequelMemes

Do you have a particular trilogy in Star Wars you’re not a big fan of? Any chance of finding something to love? It’s worth a re-evaluation, because, hey, it’s STAR WARS! Comment below and we’ll talk about!