As we count down the final days to Star Wars: The Rise
of Skywalker, I choose my favorite scenes/moments from every Star Wars film.
Let us begin in order with the prequels.
Star
Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
Obi Wan vs Darth Maul
There was a time, before the afterglow of the Phantom
Menace wore off, where everybody loved the movie. Sure there were always some
people who found Jar Jar annoying, and maybe they had a few issues with Jake
Lloyd’s acting, but I am hard pressed to recall anyone I knew hating the first new Star Wars in over sixteen
years. And it was because the film left them with an impression of an amazing lightsaber
duel—2 v 1 space wizard action unlike anything we ever imagined. This fight
created the afterglow which would last perhaps a few days or weeks until the
toxic negativity spread through the fandom via early internet forum groupthink.
The full duel at the end of The Phantom Menace tells a
microcosm of a story for the entire saga. (An analysis which requires its own
essay, but I focuses here on my favorite part.)
Obi Wan’s master is slain, and as the barrier opens he
leaps into action with what I would call righteous anger. The choreography is crisp
and intense, the sound of the sabers dominates as the only “music” and the
emotion of the moment is contagious to the audience because of the actors. Because of his fury Obi Wan temporarily gains
the upper hand. But Darth Maul is barely slowed by the loss of half his saber,
and his combat prowess eventually wins out over the young Jedi.
The final blow is not really included in the “favorite-ness”
of this seen, but it does give us a general characteristic for the Dark Side –
even with the coveted ultimate tactic in Star Wars, (the high ground), an
overly inflated ego is an even greater weakness.
The duel has a lot of character and manages to
highlight the journey of Obi Wan in particular, setting a tone and a standard
to match for the rest of the prequels, and indeed the sequels as well.
Star
Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones
Anakin’s Dark Confession
This is going to surprise a few people. Why not one of the better action scenes? The stand up and cheer moment was when Yoda walked in to face Dooku in a Wizard’s duel. I recall audiences losing their mind over that. Many years later, detractors would say “that’s not how Yoda should act.” And therein we should have seen the problem with fandom’s as large as Star Wars versus expectations. But I digress. My favorite scene from Episode 2 is one that is often glossed over because it didn’t change any expectations. And yet, it’s a true turning point for both Anakin and Padme.
The scene is well acted. (Ducks a bunch of rotten
tomatoes and sharp jagged objects).
Now hold on. Before you lynch me, I mean it. You might
not like Hayden Christianson as an actor, and because of his performance as a
whole, you may view this scene as part of the same issue. I argue he plays it
exactly how it should be played. Hayden excels at the darker emotions, and
ultimately was probably the reason for Lucas casting him. Here a young man
fresh out of his teenage years is dealing with emotions the Jedi taught him to
ignore, repress, or just let go of. He has no coping mechanism and he’s showing
how immature and petty his vengeance was.
If he looked more calm and villainous, as he would
when he later becomes Vader, it would almost glorify his actions. It would make
us afraid of Anakin, rather than sympathize with him. There is a very thin line
the actors must walk here as Anakin deals with the loss of his mother.
The big moment really begins as Padme asks, “What’s wrong
Ani?”
We are meant to infer that she means “I know you just
lost your mother, but what else is wrong? There’s something else. If I have one
negative critique of the scene it’s this line – as I do not think Natalie
Portman 100 percent understand how Padme is supposed to be feeling or
approaching this situation. Lucas probably didn’t give her the best direction
either.
An important note. Padme enables Anakin here. She’s
already in love with him, though has not admitted it to herself. Over the
years, many memes, and media have been created to show what Padme should have
done at this point . . . and run like hell from this creepy whiny, village
murdering psychopath. But she doesn’t because she decided to share in Anakin’s
point of view that these “Sand People” must be primitive animals.
She makes excuses for Anakin as this was just the result
of the human emotion of anger. What is a twelve year old supposed to learn from
this? They are supposed to recognize that just because you are angry it’s no
excuse to lash out, that there needs to be a better way to deal with their
feelings. Anakin even feels guilty and says as much.
What would Padme have done if it were a village of
humans or Gungans?
We the audience would not have made excuses for him.
In fact, a lot more people would have raged at how Anakin is presented as a
hero again from this point forth until he turns against Mace Windu. So even the
audience has bought into this idea that the native people of Tatooine must be
less than human. (Or we subconsciously buy that Padme does).
This moment gets a passing mention in Revenge of the
Sith from Palpatine, and I wish it could have had a more major role, like Obi
Wan finding out the extent of the event later from Padme. Audiences should also
note that as Anakin confesses the prize, the Emperor’s theme plays. Perhaps it’s
meant to represent the dark side, and then Vader, but Palpatine is always
present in some way when his theme plays. (This is true in the Last Jedi as
well). I think we are meant to infer that Palpatine has an even greater feeling
on this event, even as Yoda felt it.
Star
Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith
The Opera Scene
This is a scene central not just to the prequels, but
the entire saga as a whole running all the way to The Rise of Skywalker.
Palpatine was always on a quest for immortality, and those who can move past
their compartmentalization of Star Wars and look past which corporate office
owned the franchise at any given time will instantly see the connection. This
scene is at the first level the ultimate temptation of Anakin in his desire to
never lose anyone he loves again, especially Padme. But it is so much more. It
also provides the ultimate motivation for the soon-to-be emperor. Hold onto power without ever having to fear
losing it by gaining immortality.
Midichlorians, as despised a concept as they were,
were only mentioned in three scenes in the prequels. Two of them were in the
Phantom Menace. The other is in this scene.
If the saga is to truly be connected, J.J. Abrahms
should honor Lucas’s vision and at least mention them again in Episode 9. The
ability to balance spirituality with science (rather than have one of those two
systems dominate the other) is an important theme, and the Midichlorians would
have played out in the sequel trilogy to accomplish this. (As Lucas stated in
an interview with James Cameron). But if the Sith can influence the
Midichlorians to create life . . . what is being impled here about Anakin as a
chosen one? What about Rey?
If the Sith manipulated their own chosen one, what
happens when the force does so naturally?
Maybe, just maybe, my main theory where Rey is Anakin
is not correct. Maybe Anakin had the qualities of the chosen one but was an attempt
by the Sith to control the prophecy, whereas Rey is the actual chosen one – and
in the end the two chosen one lines come together.
I believe this scene is critical to Rey’s identity in
some form, though we would all need to reassess once more what Rey’s mirror
vison means.
In any case, this is some of the most brilliant acting
in the entire saga and I love it.
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