Tag: Darth Vader

  • Thoughts on Rogue One and Andor

    (I guess there might be spoilers here.)

    I wasn’t sure what to make of Rogue One when I saw it in the theatre. I honestly thought I was going to see the first in a series of tentpole movies in the Star Wars Universe. Such as every two years there would be another Rouge One movie, with this gang of characters going out to cause shit against the Empire. I had no idea that I was about to see a new version of The Dirty Dozen, except on this suicide mission, everyone actually does die. And it did take me awhile to come around and think of Rogue One as a good movie. I never thought it was bad, but I did go in with an expectation that wasn’t met. Mainly, the good guys live, because the good guys always survive in Star Wars. As time went on, I did come to appreciate Rouge One, and I do think it is the best of all the new Star Wars movies. And I’m not just saying that because part VII, VII, IX, were a fumbled, muddled mass of garbage.

    The one thing that I did think Rogue One nailed from the first time that I saw it, was that this movie made the Empire evil and menacing again. After having grown up with Star Wars, and watched or read just about all of its major iterations, the Empire had become “the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.” Outside of Vader and the Emperor, they were more incompetent than evil. Rogue One reminded us all that the Empire was far reaching, powerful, ruthless, and unstoppable. Then there was that Vader scene, which was cool, but also terrifying.

    Watching the latest episode of Andor last night, I was reminded of those same feelings I had watching Rogue One when it came to the Empire. That the reach and control of the Empire is so great, there is no escape or relief from it. But Andor adds an additional element to the evil of this Empire, which is to show us the mid-level people who are the ones who truly exercise the oppression on the population of the galaxy.

    I went looking online this morning to see if others are seeing it the same way as me, and I am not alone in this view. I did also notice a debate on whether Andor is holding a mirror to the current politics of America and the rise of authoritarians in the world. My opinion is that the Empire in Andor, and Star Wars as a whole, is still using Nazi Germany as its inspiration. I think inferring anything else is a bit of projection by certain viewers. BUT! I will say that Andor’s detainment, arrest, and sentencing was eerie parallel about American mass arrests and mandatory minimum sentencing. Who cares about criminals, right? They must deserve it, or they wouldn’t be there in the first place.

    I am looking forward to seeing where Andor is going. Ultimately, we know Mon Mothma leads the Rebellion, and Andor dies, so I am curious as to how the suspense and peril will be rise as this story continues. But what is coming into focus is why people would risk everything to fight the Empire.

    (And this is when I ask you to like, share, comment, or follow this blog. The numbers have been going up, so thanks in advance. Or if you are a bot… I welcome out Bot overlords!)

  • ODDS and ENDS: Dancing Bears on the Supreme Court, Well…, and Obi-Wan Kenobi

    (Guns have more Rights than Women)

    Yup, I’m pretty sick to my stomach and also really pissed off. Roe was overturned, and I know that no one is surprised by this. Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett only got on the Supreme Court to do exactly this. They were all groomed, and supported by Conservative think tanks and non-profits to reach this decision. They all lied and were coy about the idea of “weighing the case on its merits” when in reality we all knew the fix was in. This was a rigged outcome. And they know it as well. There was only one way each of them was going to get on the Court, and that was promising to deliver this when the time came. The time came, the music started, and these six dancing circus bears did their jig. Just like they had been trained to do.

    Fuck

    I watched Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I have mixed feeling about it. I liked it. I mean, it was better than The Book of Boba Fett which started strong and then just went flaccid. Obi-Wan did have one donkey of an episode, Part IV, that almost derailed me from the series. What kept pulling me back was nostalgia and Ewan McGregor. I say nostalgia because I have been thinking about this situation, Obi-Wan sitting in the desert of Tatooine looking out for Luke, since I was a kid. I had all kinds of ideas of the adventures that Obi-Wan had, protecting Luke while trying to stay in hiding, helping the Rebellion, etc.… I am old enough now to know that nothing will beat my imagination and excitement I had when I was 10 years old playing with my STAR WARS toys. But, I still like to see if someone else can come up with something new, that might inspire some wonder in me. Then there is Ewan McGregor, who has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in Trainspotting. I like the fact that, as an actor, he has had a career of playing so many different types of characters, moving easily between big budget movies and small independent films. When he is on screen, I want to see what his characters do. Ewan’s Obi-Wan was compelling, and I enjoyed watching the character regain his confidence and faith in himself through the story. I thought the series started strong and ended strong, but as I said before, the middle was a bit of a slog as it all felt too easy for the characters to succeed. That having been said, if they make a second season, yes, I will watch it. Cause I can’t say no to Ewan.