bobinator said:

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The laser gate thing was dumb. Although maybe Obi Wan was just pissed and wanted to shoot something. But it's very obvious to me that Vader didn't want to chase Obi Wan. He clearly could have. He didn't want to.

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That's where I'm at also, especially after re-watching it. He just sits there and watches the droid carry him away. There are too many painfully obvious ways he could have re-captured him.

I don't really know why he'd let him get away considering he's been hunting him unsuccessfully for ten years, but maybe he felt like it wasn't going to be enough of a challenge to kill him. Or maybe he wants to track whatever ship he leaves on. Or maybe he loves the hunt. Whatever it is, I just can't get behind "the fire was too big."

I actually think this is a better bit of character building than we're giving it credit for, though this is the challenge of a masked character. The last time he saw Obi Wan, Kenobi almost killed him. Not only that, but his pain caused (he thinks) his unborn children and the woman he loves to die.

He's been building this battle up in his mind for ten years. He doesn't live for anything else. There's nobody else out there to challenge him. And so now it's finally time for this battle, and Obi Wan is hiding. So he just starts killing people to try and draw him out or at least draw out an emotional response from him.

Then he finally is able to confront him, and Obi Wan is running away. He won't fight him. He finally does fight him, but he's clearly nowhere near the man he used to be.

Vader still wants to kill him, but he wants him to suffer, he wants Kenobi to fail and suffer the same way that he failed and suffered. He doesn't want to just end this shell of Obi Wan.

So he lets him go, for now.

PatAg said:

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bobinator said:

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This may be a little too far into wild speculation territory, but it seems to me that one of the things they're trying to convey in this show is the general sense that there's space in this galaxy for a rebellion to grow. That there are still people out there like Tala, doing what they have to to survive, but also helping the Jedi and others whenever they can.

I think Reva is going to be kind of the pinnacle example of this. Taken from the Jedi temple, raised to hunt and kill Jedi, etc, etc, in the end, despite everything she's had to do, she's going to keep the flame alive, so to speak.

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That or she does make her turn back to good, and Vader just crumples her body with the force

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I can't believe that some of you DIDN'T realize Vader let Obi-Wan go. His disappointment in Obi-Wan was obvious, as was his plainly stated desire to make him suffer. Vader doesn't want to fight/kill this shadow of his old master.

Same with him killing all the civilians. The intent seems very plain to me here. Just like we saw with the Inquisitors previously, he's trying to draw Kenobi out.

A lot to unpack from the first three episodes. I know I'm in the posting minority of loving this show to death. Like loving it beyond anything I've felt even for Mando. As a lifelong fan favorite, having this incredibly intimate portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi is far beyond the emotional depth of any Star Wars film save certain parts of the Luke / Vader interaction in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Not trying to preach or change anyone's opinion, just my 2 cents on what I have found to be a dazzling show.

Episode I:

Love the prequel recap / intro with the somber music. Really great way to introduce more casual fans to the story and get them up to speed. Great seeing all those clips put together really nicely, not just slapped together in sequential order.

Whoever said the Inquisitors ship is Gil Gerard's from Buck Rogers, I salute you.

I think Reva is a fierce, ambitious villain. If she has some sort of redemption, well that's Star Wars. Vader is redeemed, Kylo is redeemed, Yoda and Han and Obi-wan make up for their mistakes. Mando corrects his mistake with Grogu. Boba Fett decides to work for the people, even though they don't seem to care. She's a villain, but she's not the THE villain. That's Vader. She's just a catalyst in this story for me.

Like others have said, I never considered Obi-Wan working a crap job out on the Dune Sea, but it makes sense, he has to survive and feed himself. Loved how he's just in that monotony of work, feed the eopie, keep your head down, make sure the kid's OK. And the nightmares, even though some of them are of stuff he wasn't actually present for. Thought it was a great job of building 10 years of being riddled with failure, unable to commune with other Jedi, and feeling like such a failure that you put the Force aside completely.

Young Princess Leia is a discovery of an epic proportion as a young actress. I know she was in Bird Box, but I haven't seen that, so this is my first time viewing her work. I don't know how you could improve on that casting. I love the look of Alderaan. If you've played The Old Republic it's very true to that vision. I love the emotions that Jimy Smits conveys about the past. He was criminally underused in the PT. so glad he got a few scenes in Rogue One.

Obi-Wan refusing to help even when Bail Organa shows up. Totally broken guy, clinging on to this one job that he takes solace in giving him purpose. You get so buried in your own pain that you think only one thing can define you and you grip it tightly, never allowing yourself to be more.

A Falleen sighitng in live action! Prince Xizor is somewhere with smiling with phermones wafting in the air.

Episode II

Ewan McGregor's reaction to hearing Vader/Anakin is alive should earn him an Emmy nomination.

Not sure if the GI is dead or wounded. Maybe he's different than the GI in Rebels. They certainly look and sound differently.

Amazing to know that was Ewan's daughter getting to act alongside him. Love the fam aspect of SW.

Flea is a bit of a weird choice, but I tried to take it from the perspective of a kid watching SW having no idea who the hell he was. He makes a good Sw scumbag because he's creepy looking. As a kid in the 70s, I had no idea how famous Peter Cushing was, but he made a great Tarkin cuz he's great at playing a-hole.

Episode III
Vader's appearance in the village, as said by someone earlier, played like a horror movie and I loved it. Obi-Wan has no idea what he's seeing, only that he feels Anakin's rage boiling off him. And here comes this ******* monster in black. All those nightmares from 10 years about failing/killing your best friend, and now you see that you even failed to kill him, and he's turned into this twisted ****ing demon. Vader should be and was terrifying in that episode, and it makes sense to not play the Imperial March because he's not that Vader yet, he's ****ing furious and vengeful and obsessed with rooting out the last of the people he blames for everything. Just like the different music for Luke in the last episode of Mando - that's an unknown quantity- a mystery Jedi.

The one-handed fighting just like in ESB is a great call-back. He's completely dismissive of Obi-wan's ability. and the burning field. Holy ***** That has to be the most intense thing in SW since ti happened to Anakin in ROTS. Makes me think Vader has tracked down plenty of other renegade Jedi and tortured them before death the same way.

The dialogue of that fight- excellent, but I think they might have mixed JEJ's recordings over the years. the "I" in I am what you made me was definitely the same "I" of "I am your father."

I think Vader didn't pursue into the fire because he wants to know who is helping Obi-Wan out. if he and Palps suspect this "Jedi Underground Railroad" exists, he's certainly cunning enough to understand pursuing them could open up a treasure trove of enemies.

My super fan and I have made it both nights at 2 AM with popcorn and candy in the media room. I love this show top to bottom.

Good post, but...

Quote:

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Vader should be and was terrifying in that episode, and it makes sense to not play the Imperial March

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No it doesn't.

Quote:

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because he's not that Vader yet

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Yes he is.

You don't have to justify a bad decision. Though personally I'd have used it when he's walking out of his chamber at the beginning of the episode. (If I had to choose.)

Specifically, something like the version used here.

Sign me up as a sucker for any Vader scenes with JEJ in any movie or TV show.

Good post. I'm not quite where you are on the show, but I do like it and enjoy it more than most on here based on this thread. I'm with BES though, gotta have the Imperial March as Vader is making his appearance in the village.

I really like your breakdown of Obi-wan's feelings upon seeing Vader for the first time. It really makes Vader's comment of "I am what you made me" hit even harder. For a decade Obi-wan thought he had failed Anakin and ultimately killed him, and now he actually finds out its even worse. Rather than being dead, Anakin has become an unthinkably evil monster, and he lays it all at the feet of Obi-wan. I'm surprised he could stand, much less fight.

bobinator said:

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I'm glad someone is really enjoying it.

Where I'm currently at is this show is fine. For me it's not anything special yet, it's had some good moments and some bad moments. It's definitely not as bad as some people are making it out to be overall.

They've got enough pieces on the board that it could definitely still go all the way either way.

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All one has to do in order to enjoy this show is compare it to the non-Mando episodes of Boba Fett.

bobinator said:

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The timeline is something I struggle to wrap my head around sometimes.

Everything in Star Wars Rebels is after this, but not by much yes?

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Yes.

And A Grand inquisitor exists in Rebels, and Obi-wan kills Darth maul in it and acts like a "real" Jedi. So something is going to change