Favorite Prequel characters

[Worm of Despite]

I'd say Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine takes the cake. It's such a great, subtle performance to watch. I also like the fact that he's one of the only actors who depicts the same character in both Star Wars trilogies. All that makeup in Jedi made him look a ton older, and the fact that it's gone makes him look so much younger in the prequels (despite that he's technically older in real life). Genius!

I always found Qui-Gon interesting. Liam Neeson as a Jedi is just an awesome concept, more I think of it. And I think Ewan is doing a great job as Obi-Wan.

[duchess of malfi]

Qui Gon and Obi Wan and the subtle interactions between the actors who portrayed them was the only thing that made the first prequel watchable for me.

And, yes, the little we've seen of Palpatine/Sidious has been good. I can't wait for his much expanded part in the third prequel.

[dlbpharmd]

Palpatine is definitely the best character in the prequels. I like Obi-wan and Qui-gon as well.

[Avatar]

No disagreement here, Palpatine, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are my favourite as well.

I think Ewan McGregor is doing great as a young Obi-Wan, especially since he's effectively playing a young Alec Guiness more than anything else. But he's doing it very well.

--Avatar

[Loredoctor]

That's my favourite character.

[dlbpharmd]

I've seen that before - that kid is hilarious!

[Loredoctor]

Yeah, he is. Apparently he won a law suit against the people who put the video on the net. LOL

[Fist and Faith]

Those mentioned are really great. And I'll add Mace Windu and DARTH MAUL to the list!!!!! I add Mace because of his appearance in Clone Wars, and his role in the Ep III book. I add Maul because he's the coolest thing in the history of either galaxy!

[matrixman]

I agree, Darth Maul was very cool, along with that wicked lightsaber of his. And Samuel Jackson is cool because he's Samuel Jackson.

Okay, everyone's going to think I'm a nerfherder for saying this, but I actually liked Jake Lloyd as young Anakin. I much preferred Anakin the boy wonder of Episode I to Anakin the teen hothead of Episode II.

I like Natalie Portman as Amidala a fair bit, too. It's not her fault that she got fed weak lines.

And Ewan McGregor is quite good as Obi-Wan. I've said elsewhere that it's nice to see Kenobi as a man in his prime who knows how to dish out the hurt.

[dlbpharmd]

I like Natalie Portman also (have you seen Closer? )

MM is right about Obi-wan in his prime - looking back on ANH now, it was a mistake to cast Alec Guiness as Obi-wan - too old for the part, portrayed Obi-wan as a weak run down Jedi.)

[Worm of Despite]

I like Natalie Portman also (have you seen Closer? )

MM is right about Obi-wan in his prime - looking back on ANH now, it was a mistake to cast Alec Guiness as Obi-wan - too old for the part, portrayed Obi-wan as a weak run down Jedi.)

Well maybe that's what he was, by then? Lucas pretty much said so in the director’s commentary--plus, Obi himself told Luke "I'm getting too old for this.”

Personally, I can't see anybody else but Alec Guiness portraying Obi in the original trilogy. He's one of the finest actors of the 20th century, right up there with the Brandos and the Pacinos. Lucas was looking for a "wise, old master" who educates the main character, and I think Guiness provided that in spades. It was a classic performance!

Plus, he gave Vader a run for his money in ANH; that duel would've lasted a LOT longer, had Obi not decided to join the Force then.

[matrixman]

Lucas's commentary on ANH threw me off a bit when he said the Vader/Kenobi duel was a fight between two old Jedi who couldn't move very well. Kenobi I can see, but Vader? My impression of Vader in ANH and TESB was not that of a weak old man. Particularly in Empire, Vader was portrayed as a fearsome figure at the height of his powers--I mean, the guy drove the movie! Someone who can reduce Luke Skywalker to a dismembered, battered and beaten hunk of meat is not a "weak old Jedi" in my eyes. If Lucas was depicting Vader as an over-the-hill Jedi, then having a supremely-in-charge Vader in Empire was a strange way of doing it.

[Worm of Despite]

Lucas's commentary on ANH threw me off a bit when he said the Vader/Kenobi duel was a fight between two old Jedi who couldn't move very well. Kenobi I can see, but Vader? My impression of Vader in ANH and TESB was not that of a weak old man.

Lucas used the "weak old man" description for Kenobi, not Vader; for Vader, he said his slowness was due to being half-machine/his injuries.

[firelion]

My favorite character is that skintight little shirt that Natalie Portman wore in AoTC,it spoke no lines at all,but held my full attention-brilliant casting by Lucus!

[matrixman]

Lucas used the "weak old man" description for Kenobi, not Vader; for Vader, he said his slowness was due to being half-machine/his injuries.

Ah, okay. I guess I misheard him.

[dlbpharmd]

Here's my reasoning on Obi-wan:

1) In TPM he is approximately 20-25 years of age.

2) Ten years pass between TPM and AOTC

3) Another 2-3 years pass between AOTC and ROTS

Therefore, Obi-wan at the end of ROTS can be no more than 35 years of age.

4) Approximately 20 years pass between ROTS and ANH.

Thus, Obi-wan can be no older than 60. And he's a weak old man? Cound Dooku was a lot older and a bad ass at that.

If one assumes that Vader is slower and less powerful in ANH than he is in ROTS, then Obi-wan should have carved his liver in ANH. Maybe Foul is right, that might have happened if Obi-wan had not become one with the Force. But as much as I love the great lightsaber duels in the prequels, it bothers me that the lightsaber duels are so bad in Episodes IV-VI.

[Worm of Despite]

If one assumes that Vader is slower and less powerful in ANH than he is in ROTS, then Obi-wan should have carved his liver in ANH. Maybe Foul is right, that might have happened if Obi-wan had not become one with the Force. But as much as I love the great lightsaber duels in the prequels, it bothers me that the lightsaber duels are so bad in Episodes IV-VI.

Well, for my money, the duel of Vader and Luke in Empire Strikes Back may not have had as much technical flair as the prequel duels, but I think it had the most emotions/drama tied up in it. There was more at stake, I felt, whereas with the prequel duels I don't feel that so much; rather, it just feels like an excuse to see "Obi-Wan fight A" or "Yoda to fight B".

And let's just face it: whatever Lucas tried to do to cover up the difference between the prequels and the original trilogy, it all comes down to this: Lucas probably didn’t have the resources or the technology to orchestrate the type of duels we see in the prequels.

I remember the first time I saw Obi-Wan fight Vader in a New Hope. I wasn't thinking "they're fighting so slow or they're so clumsy". I was on the edge of my seat, in disbelief that this old man was fighting the evil dude in black. I felt true nervousness for old Ben. I think Lucas was going for that reaction in his audience. It's a lot like the bleeding arm in the first movie. Why didn't the lightsaber cauterize the wound? Because a bleeding arm is more dramatic.

As for Dooku: well, he was simply more powerful in the Force (he could do Force Lightening, for chrissake), plus, he had given over to the Dark Side. That's just two factors that suggests Obi-Wan's and Dooku's training were different, as well their respective powers/strengths.

Also, Dooku had a very unique style of lightsaber combat that was devastating against other Jedi. Here's some quotes that might help piece the puzzle together:

Form II: Makashi
After Form I's proliferation as a saber combat technique, Form II or "Way of the Ysalamiri," came about as a means of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. It is described as being very elegant, powerful, and requiring extreme precision. The blade manipulation required for this form is very refined and requires much focus, but the results are extremely powerful.

In the time near the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order seldom practices this technique. There is, if at all, so little lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat involved in a Jedi's life that Jedi Masters have found it impractical.

Darth Tyranus, from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, has mastered Form II to the highest degree, fighting with the precision built into the ancient technique. When he wields this Form it devastates the Jedi; the system of Jedi training at the time of confrontation between Darth Tyranus and other Jedi does not prepare the Jedi for the precise movements of a form bred for lightsaber dueling.

Form III: Soresu
After Darth Maul's defeat on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi decided to perfect his practice of Form III lightsaber combat, the most defensive of all of the forms, since Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi's master and Form IV practitioner, fell against Darth Maul.

Form III, the "Way of the Mynock," was originally developed to counteract the advancing blaster technology throughout the galaxy. Those to whom the Jedi were mainly opposed usually wielded blasters now; the Jedi needed to find a method to defend that could not be replicated or be counteracted by the Jedi's blaster-wielding enemies.

The need to deflect Blaster bolts inspired the technique in Form III. It is very defensive; utilising motions occurring very close to the body to achieve a nearly total protection, efficiently expending as little energy as possible to execute those moves. This technique exposes as little body target zone open areas as is possible, making a well-trained practitioner nearly invincible. Practioners of Soresu comfortably remain on the defensive until their opponents tire or make a mistake, only then do they strike offensively. Testimony to this is the fact that Ben Kenobi, a Form III master, only falls when he chooses to let Darth Vader kill him. One could still argue that he is invincible as he re-appears later in the series as a Jedi Spirit.

Form VI: Niman
The "Way of the Rancor," Form VI was the standard style at and around the time period of the Clone Wars and the Great Jedi Purge. This combat discipline is often called the "Diplomat's Form." One can see this in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones when many of the saber-wielders on Geonosis are killed. In fact, all of the Jedi using Form VI were killed at the Battle of Geonosis.

Form VI attempts to balance all elements of lightsaber combat, combining the Forms that came before into a less intensely demanding combat style. The result is that the users' skill in each individual area of lightsaber combat is only moderate, making Form VI well suited for diplomats, as they can spend their time training in the areas of politics and negotiation instead of combat training.

[dlbpharmd]

Great stuff there - could you supply a link?

[Fist and Faith]

Dooku's style is mentioned in the Ep I book, how he has studied fencing - blade against blade - rather than lightsaber against anything else, which it will destroy, like the rest of the Jedi study.

[Worm of Despite]

Great stuff there - could you supply a link?

Sure! Wikipedia's a great resource.


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber_combat#The_seven_forms_of_lightsaber_combat