[SWd20] To those who want Episode III goodies

[Brother Shatterstone]

"You know, Lord Sideous, you're supposed to take the plastic wrapper off the cigar before you smoke it."

Sidious plans where unfortunate interrupted by Qui-Gon Gin… What you really expect a Sith lord and Sith apprentice to raise a child when they can toss it into slavery where it can grow more angry day after day till they liberated it?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Really? Ick. Yet another reason to dislike Star Wars Galaxies. :\

Technically, its not Grievous. Apparently some scientist dude found the plans for Grievous and built a droid from the plans.

Still doesn't redeem SWG, though.

 

[M.L. Martin]

The "Palpatine created Anakin" idea was actually stated explicitly in Lucas' first draft, according to the Making of RotS book. That said, the Emperor could have been lying even when he was going to make the claim explicit. Lucas has said in interviews that he's leaving it up to the fans, IIRC.

And as Shatterstone noted, the Outer Rim (I don't think Shmi and Anakin wound up on Tatooine until he was 3 or so) is the perfect place if you want to keep a Force-powerful individual hidden from the Jedi for a time.

Plus, we don't know how deep and involved Palpatine's foresight and planning went--he may have intended things to play out as they did (for the most part--he doesn't foresee Anakin's injuries, and he seriously underestimates both Luke and Anakin in RotJ).

EDIT: I should say that I like the explanation because it highlights the self-destructive irony of the Dark Side. Anakin embraces the Dark Side to save Padme . . . and winds up killing her because of it. Palpatine tries to create the ultimate Sith . . . and brings about the fulfillment of the prophecy, the destruction of the 'true' Sith Order, and the restoration of the Balance of the Force.

 

[Timeron Malachi]

I say Palpatine knocked Shmii up the old-fashioned way, and then used the Force to wipe his memory.

I know, in the great big picture, midichlorians or no, it doesn't really make that big of a difference. But, for me, I didn't need a scientific explaination for the Force, it just makes it more like Star Trek for me. I do like Star Trek, but I also love Star Wars, and Jedi did not need to be explained the way they did.

"What's the Force?"

"Mmm...all-powerful...surrounds us and penetrates us...binds all things...the rock, the tree..."

"Sweet, so does that mean I can block blaster-bolts and jump up fifty feet and fly Beggar's Cannon with my eyes closed?"

 

[Faraer]

Yes, it's deliberately ambiguous in the film. I tend to think it's another of Palpatine's lies, myself.

Midi-chlorians aren't an explanation of the Force any more than the existence of neurons explains consciousness.

 

[wingsandsword]

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=6769372#post6769372

G.M. Sarli (aka WizO the Hutt) posted a very insightful, insider look at why we've had a dearth of Star Wars RPG products, although we still get web support and the line hasn't been officially declared dead.

For those who don't want to read it, here's the condensed version:

The RPG license has a minimum number of products and maximum number of products that can be made each year (4 and 6 respectively). The RPG and Minis like use the same license, so each minis product release takes up a slot, and the Minis game is just taking off, and selling like crazy. It's very easy to see that while the SWRPG is quite profitable, right now the minis line is even more profitable. The people who run WotC are no dummies, they know that the RPG is very popular, and the books have huge resale values on eBay as well as a very loyal fan base, but they are caught between a license that limits the products they can make and a minis line that is truly lucrative. Thus, they keep web support going (web articles don't count towards their product limits), and they give occasional bits of RPG material in the minis stuff like the UM:RotS book, and don't declare the license dead, because they probably intend to come back to it if/when Minis sales taper off (since sales of almost all collectable lines dwindle over time).

 

[DnDChick]

More EpIII goodness with the recent Jedi Counselling 70:

Updated rules for Move Object, and an explanation of how Anakin so easily beat Dooku at the beginning of EpIII.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=starwars/article/sw20050721jc70

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

(since sales of almost all collectable lines dwindle over time).

See AMG! It’s all your fault!

 

[Pbartender]

...and an explanation of how Anakin so easily beat Dooku at the beginning of EpIII...

Blecch.

Read the novelization of the movie. It has a much, much better explanation of how Anakin and Obi-Wan beat Dooku and the droids. It all boils down to Anakin and Obi-Wan's uncanny Force teamwork in combat, after years of fighting so closely together, and Dooku overconfidently underestimating their abilities due to an elaborate bluff on the part of Obi-Wan and Anakin.

 

[Colonelpuddinhead]

I'm sure this has been said before, but that's one of my bigger complaints about the Star Wars movies. They have a pretty long track record of killing off otherwise very interesting looking characters, or people who seem badass, very easily.

Everyone I knew when I saw Ep. 1 the first time was very disappointed when both Qui-Gon and Maul died...the theatre just about screamed when Jango went down against Mace...Boba was killed by a stupid accident, even though Expanded Universe fixed that...I don't think Dooku was as big of a deal, because he at least had two or three good scenes...Mace, I think, was one of the biggest let-downs of the new trilogy...they say he's this total badass...he can take anybody, all that, and then we only see him fight once, and then he gets sneak attacked by a guy who he was already very suspicious of?

I disagree with you about Boba Fett. True his demise in Ep.6 was a little goofy, he *was* a bad guy for 3 episodes - which is long life for hollywood (even if Lucas put him in Ep.4 as an after thought). I think Maul dying in Ep.1 equates to Tarkin dying in Ep.4 - Tarkin's a character I would have like to see develop (especially since his earlier years in Expanded UNiverse is so interesting). Same goes for Mace WIndu as Boba Fett. He was a charcter for 3 movies, and you knew he had to go (its common knowledge almost all the Jedi die before Ep.4). In the cartoon series, Mace Windu is a total badass. He takes on a HUGE (I mean incredibly HUGE) army of Super Battle Droids and their vehicles - and kicks their collective asses. It was probably the coolest scene in the series, next tot he Lightsaber duel between Anakin and that Sith Apprentice on Yavin4.

CP