Yeah, there are definetly a few plot holes in Star Wars, but I'm willing to get over them...

My real question is, when is Lucas going to settle on a definitive version of Star Wars? He called the Special Editions the definitive, now he's changing them slightly again for the DVD's (supposedly also definitive), and there is a rumored Archive Edition that will be even more altered after Episode III. So which is the definitive? Does Lucas even know what he wants?

A "balance" implies an equal distribution of weight or amount, a measure of different, sometimes opposing, elements, but not necessarily in equal proportions. The human psyche, for instance, is said to be made up of the id, the ego, and the superego, forces within us that govern our impulsive, subconscious desires and reactions as well as our outward, mindful behavior. Sublimating the dark side of our nature to the will of the more socially acceptable side is what most civilized humans do on a daily basis. But without that dark side in us, we really wouldn't know what acceptable behaviour was. We need the balance of good and evil in the world to understand the character of each. Without good, there can be no bad. Without bad, there can be no good. There is a balance in all things, even in the Force.

John

Sean,

I think you may have misunderstood our comments. I love the Star Wars series, but I think we can all agree that the last two weren't anywhere near the quality of IV V & VI. That said, I think Lucas is capable of being a good "story teller". I think he did quite well in ANH, ESB, & ROTJ. Not to mention the Indiana Jones series (both TV & Movie). Oh well, all good things come to an end eventually.

- Josh

Are there any plans to put the Clone Wars cartoon on dvd?

So nobody here's really into Star Wars, huh? ;)

I've heard it said several times that basically Lucas would be putting everything he's got into EPIII as it's the last of the Star Wars movies. To this I just have to say that going into EPI, Lucas had to know that Star Wars was the legacy he was leaving to the world. This series will be the very thing that Lucas will forever be known for.

That being said, I wouldn't put too much stock in EPIII being any better than EPI or EPII. This is obviously the direction he wants to take the franchise, and, in my humble opinion, he has truly lost his way. If he was looking to make two mediocre prequels and a boffo final one to cap it all off, then he really is the hack and slave to marketing that I fear he has become.

We can hope this, we can hope that, but in the final analysis, I think Tim's insights serve much of this discussion best: Lucas is not a very good storyteller. He is an excellent marketer and technological pioneer, but is obviously lacking in a number of other aspects integral to making a good film.

To answer some questions already posed:
- R2D2 is really Luke and Leia's father. Why do you think he got his memory wiped?
- C3PO had his memory wiped because he walked in on R2 and Padme.
- Quigon is actually just Anakin's alter ego, his Tyler Durden. Why do you think Anakin heard his voice?
- Jabba becomes the spokesperson for Weight Watchers.
- Anakin gets those burns from spilling a cup of hot microwaved soup on himself when Obi Wan surprises him during lunch (remember, microwave technology wasn't yet perfected a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away)
- Midichlorians are actually a form of STD.
- The "balance" Yoda is talking about is that butter substitute everyone uses nowadays. Anakin was trying to invent it. Truly a man ahead of his time.

And the overall truth present in the Star Wars universe:
Being a whiner makes you the baddest man in the universe!

Sean (...would you like some cheese with that, Anakin?...) :D

TGP,

I think we'd ALL like the answer to your DVD question! How many times can you change something (each time supposedly the final) before it becomes unrecognizeable from the original?

John,

Good point. I always think of the of balance in the "equality" sense (e.g. Lady Justice). I tried to apply that logic to the Star Wars storyline, and I can't seem to come up with the answer to Depression's question to what Quigon meant by "Bring balance to the force" in Episode I. The statement means that (at the time in Episode I) there was imbalance in the force. So, does that mean that the Jedi wish for the Sith to return so there will be balance? That doesn't make sense to me. So where is the imbalance? Maybe someone of greater nerdiness than I can find the answer? lol. :D

- Josh

Josh,

I wasn't referring to you specifically, or really anyone here at DVDTown necessarily. I was actually just discussing things I've heard from numerous folks over the past couple of years regarding Lucas' decline.

I agree with you that Lucas used to be able to spin a pretty good yarn, but once he dropped his own creedo (You can have all the effects in the world, but if you don't have a good story, you don't have a movie) things certainly took a turn for him.

I'm very glad that George Lucas has been involved in filmmaking. Because of him we have some amazing technical advances that truly enhance film viewing. To this I will always give him credit.

Sean (...with a Jedi hand sweep: "credits will be fine"...)

Sean,

Ahhh yes, Murphy was certainly listening the day Lucas spoke those famous last words!

What's sort of interesting to think about is Lucas made the comment that he didn't want to do episodes VII, VIII, & IX because he had "other projects" he wanted to complete. I wonder if any of us will pay that much attention to any of these projects being that they won't have "Star Wars" stamped on them. On the other hand, as I mentioned before, the Indiana Jones TV & Movies were excellent! Come to think of it, I still love "Willow". THX 1138 was wierd, but still good. The "Amazing Stories" tv show I loved as a kid, and seemed well produced. Hmm... so maybe we will pay attention?

- Josh (as smartalec Yoda would say... "ohhh, cannot get your ship out!"

Okay, I got the Ultimate Star Wars question:
I just watched Ep. II, and after Mace decapitates Jango Fett, and Boba picks up his helmet, why didn't his head fall out? It would be a good reason as to how Boba became a ruthless bounty hunter since he was so traumatized at seeing his father's sliced-off, smiling head :)

TGP,

You could be right... Empire may just have gotten a "PG-13" rating now days. I'm not sure anymore though. The rating system seems like it's either corrupt, or they aren't adhering to their own standards. I could get into a HUGE rant about this, but I won't.

I'd love to see Lucas make Episode III a 3 hour movie though. I think a long final farewell to Star Wars would be nice. Especially if more character building is done. Being that we've established that a good majority of the audience is under 10 years old however, it will never happen.

- Josh

"that's not the secret knock" "I forget the secret knock!" "VERN!"