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Radagast-Aiwendil
Gondor
Nov 27 2012, 8:34pm
Post #1 of 37
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Who is your favourite character from the Original Star Wars Trilogy?
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The question's in the title: who is your favourite character from the Original Star Wars (i.e.Episodes 4-6).
Although I think that Harrison Ford's Han Solo makes the series, my personal favourite would be old Ben, one of the classic film examples of the "wise old man" character archetype. Aside from when he turns up in spectral form (which equates to about five minutes of screen time across Episodes 5 & 6), Kenobi is only in about an hour of the first movie (from his first appearance to his duel with Vader), and yet he is such a memorable character, due in no small part to the masterful presence of the late Sir Alec Guinness, one of the greatest English actors of all time.
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DanielLB
Immortal
Nov 27 2012, 9:02pm
Post #2 of 37
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Yoga has always been my favourite
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There's no particular reason - I just like little weird green men!
The prequel films messed him up.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Nov 27 2012, 9:55pm
Post #3 of 37
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Without a doubt. He's hilarious. He's so out of touch with the actual human (or creature) characters. I find him to be immensely likable and easy to relate to. He's the audience who's been thrust into an unfamiliar situation. Gotta love him!
Yoda is close second. He's hysterical when we first meet him, but then turns out to be a wise Jedi Master. Woah.
One last thing. Can I say I hate Chewbacca? He's nothing but annoying. I hope to high heaven he is not in the new films.
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Spencissimus
Lorien
Nov 27 2012, 9:55pm
Post #4 of 37
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Mostly due to Harrison Ford's delightfully sassy turn as the vest-wearing smuggler. Most enjoyable character across all three films.
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Nov 28 2012, 2:07am
Post #5 of 37
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Yoda, adore I do :D But I vote Princess Leia
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I have to go with Princess Leia. She was my hero - shero if you will . I had never seen anyone like her before in movies or on TV. Yes, she was a "damsel in distress" who had to be rescued, but she had been taken prisoner *not* because she was the daughter or love interest of someone important - *she* was important. She was one of the key leaders of the Rebel Alliance. She was brave, smart, sassy, dedicated...and short, like me
However, I was disappointed in her diminished role in The Return of the Jedi. After hinting that the Force was with her, too in TESB, Lucas didn't really do anything with that in ROTJ. Also, even though she did some cool things like helping to rescue Han, killing Jabba, etc., she seemed less like Princess Leia, Leader of the Rebel Alliance, and more like Leia, Han's girlfriend and Luke's sister.
Anyway, I also love Han. I think I appreciated more as I got older  At the time, I preferred Luke, though I must admit it was probably more that he was my first crush  than that he was a great character. But I think many people are too hard on Luke, calling him whiny, etc. I think he's very relatable. I can certainly relate to yearning for something more from life, and then when opportunity presents itself, feeling unsure.
Also gotta love 3PO!
And I agree about Alec Guiness - awsome! Peter Cushing as Gov. Tarkin was also very memorable. Old British actors really know their stuff.
(This post was edited by zarabia on Nov 28 2012, 2:13am)
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JWPlatt
Grey Havens
Nov 28 2012, 2:12am
Post #6 of 37
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Someone has been exercising.
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JWPlatt
Grey Havens
Nov 28 2012, 2:16am
Post #7 of 37
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Carrie Fischer says she was high most of the way through ROTJ. It's probably a good thing she didn't have to do more. It could also have affected how Leia was perceived (though Carrie's performance). I'd enjoy Leia in the next trilogy, but I'm not sure Carrie, still, would be enjoyable in the role.
(This post was edited by JWPlatt on Nov 28 2012, 2:17am)
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DanielLB
Immortal
Nov 28 2012, 8:18am
Post #8 of 37
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Auto correct on my phone obviously wants me to take up yoga!
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One Ringer
Tol Eressea
Nov 28 2012, 1:20pm
Post #9 of 37
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I wouldn't necessarily say he's my "favorite", but he's definitely my favorite in terms of secondary/supporting characters. I honestly can't say what it is about him that I like; maybe that between the lines there's an entire story of his own, but I can't really say. I just think he doesn't get noticed enough, so my vote is for him.
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Kassandros
Rohan
Nov 28 2012, 3:40pm
Post #10 of 37
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No doubt about this one. Definitely Darth Vader, the most iconic character in Star Wars.
He's also probably the most interesting character. One could make an argument that he is the central figure - even the hero - of the first three movies. It's a shame the prequels screwed up his story so bad. There was real potential there.
Runners up: Obi-wan and Yoda. Classic film Samurai. Great acting.
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Nov 28 2012, 6:46pm
Post #11 of 37
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None of us had ever heard of Yoda. When he first spoke, a guy in the audience exclaimed in surprise "It's Fozzie Bear!" And of course, it was indeed Frank Oz.
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Longbottom Leaf
Lorien
Nov 28 2012, 8:37pm
Post #12 of 37
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He's so decrepit and evil! And that voice! His scenes are some of my favorites from the trilogy and help me overcome the Ewoks thus making Return of the Jedi my favorite of the three. That and the whole Jabba sequence which is possibly my favorite part of the trilogy.
A close second to Yoda and Old Ben.
Honorable mention for Boba Fett...I think his huge popularity was due to his awesomely cool appearance being that he basically had no lines or character development. But everyone thought he was awesome...right??
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Kassandros
Rohan
Nov 28 2012, 8:49pm
Post #13 of 37
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I've never understood the Boba Fett obsession. //
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Longbottom Leaf
Lorien
Nov 28 2012, 8:53pm
Post #14 of 37
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I've always wondered about it too..
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But for some reason when I was a kid I got swept into it myself. Like I said it's mainly because of his cool appearance and gadgets ( jet pack, rocket, wrist rope thing,etc.). Also there's the mystery. Who is he, where's he from, what's his deal?? It leaves a lot to the imagination.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Nov 29 2012, 12:00am
Post #15 of 37
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Do you mean the three originals? or episodes 1-3?
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Nov 29 2012, 6:09am
Post #16 of 37
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She's admitted to being a pain in the you-know-what with all of her substance abuse, and yet she still seems to blame Star Wars for stereo-typing her and thus ruining her career. And, as much as I admired her as Leia (at least in ANH and TESB), she's *not* a great actress. When she's being tough and sassy, she's great, but when she has to play anything more subtle or nuanced...not so much. And in case she hadn't noticed, Harrison Ford has done pretty well since Star Wars. 
But I will always have a soft spot in my heart for her  , though, like you, I don't know if I'd want to see her in the next trilogy. 
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Nov 29 2012, 6:13am
Post #17 of 37
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Frank Oz does have a very distinctive voice
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He was also the puppeteer for the "rodent of unusual size" (ROUS ) in The Princess Bride. So when Wesley stabs the giant rat who then lets out a howl of pain, I can't help but think, "Oh no! He's stabbing Yoda!" 
(This post was edited by zarabia on Nov 29 2012, 6:17am)
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Kassandros
Rohan
Nov 29 2012, 2:48pm
Post #19 of 37
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Sorry for the confusion.
Anakin is clearly the protagonist (tragic hero? anti-hero? who knows, really, given how badly written they were) of Episodes 1-3, but I was saying that you could also say he's the central character of Episodes 4-6. It's his decision that is ultimately the important one in the end. His redemption.
Looking across all six movies, Star Wars is primarily the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. In terms used elsewhere in this forum, he goes from being a Hunter in Episodes 1-3 to a Lord in Episodes 4-6.
Plus, he has a really cool voice. (In Episodes 4-6. Nothing is cool about Episodes 1-3.)
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Nov 29 2012, 3:36pm
Post #20 of 37
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I thought that's what you meant, but I wanted to be sure.
Having said that, I completely disagree with you. Watching the films even now, I find Vader to have absolutely no role in episodes 4 & 5 other than as the big baddie. He's a good villian, but that's about it. He has no story or character arc. It's not until the last hour or so of Return of the Jedi that he really starts having any characterization.
Luke is obviously the protagonist of 4-6, and it's his refusal to turn to the dark side and subsequent torture by the emperor that rouses Vader. And just because Vader kills the emperor doesn't mean he's the hero of the story.
And I must say, I enjoy the prequels far more than the originals. They are very cool 
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Kassandros
Rohan
Nov 29 2012, 4:53pm
Post #21 of 37
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I think you are the first person who's ever said they like the prequels more than the originals! Fascinating!
Do you even like Attack of the Clones? If so, what do you enjoy about it? What do you think of the dialog?
To be honest, when it came out, I seemed to like The Phantom Menace more than most - I have no problem at all with Jar Jar Binks, for example. But Attack of the Clones completely killed it for me. Only thing I enjoyed about it was the music, really.
And I understand that Luke is the hero in the conventional sense. But one could read it differently is all I was saying, since his turn does have the most impact. He's very closely tied to Luke, though. In many ways, Luke is a proxy for his younger self.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Nov 29 2012, 5:48pm
Post #22 of 37
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Attack of the Clones is the worst of the prequels. It suffers from editing, I think, which isn't surprising since Ben Burt (the sound effects guru) was the editor. With a tremendous overhaul in editing, I think the film could have been infinitely better. Many of the deleted scenes are excellent - the character moments all seem to have gotten cut!
I agree that the dialogue can seem really stilted, but it's mostly with Anakin and Padme's characters. But I think part of that was intentional. Those two aren't meant to be comfortable around each other. They're much more comfortable around each other (and the dialogue reflects this) in Revenge of the Sith (which is the greatest of the six film, IMO).
I also find The Phantom Menace to be excellent. Sure, some of the effects are a bit dodgy, especially the droid versus gungan battle at the end which is mostly CGI. But the story is very good. I especially love the politics of the film, and how Palpatine manipulates Queen Amidala into removing the supreme chancellor so that he can move in. In fact, the politics of all three prequel films are some of the best parts of the story.
Don't get me wrong, though, I do enjoy the originals, just not as much. The Empire Strikes Back is actually my second favorite of the six, and both A New Hope and Return of the Jedi are good, but not great.
One of the greatest things about the saga as a whole is the contrasts between Anakin and Luke during their journeys. Watching the films in order makes Luke's rejection of the dark side much more powerful because the audience has seen the way that Anakin fell, so Luke could easily fall as well. His triumph is more amazing knowing what he actually rejected.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Nov 29 2012, 6:01pm
Post #23 of 37
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One of the worst lines (that I don't recall verbatim) was when Padme told Annakin breathlessly, "Every moment I spend away from you is a hardship." I may have remembered the words all wrong, but that was the gist of it: very cliche, and her delivery was awkward. There was plenty more where that came from. But interesting that it was intentional that they were uncomfortable around each other. I just assumed that neither one was a very good actor.
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Kassandros
Rohan
Nov 29 2012, 6:10pm
Post #24 of 37
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My biggest problem with Revenge of the Sith...
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I found Anakin's embrace of the dark side to be completely unbelievable. Without that, the movie is basically pointless. If you do find it believable, I can see how ya'd like it, and for most people, it seems to be their favorite of the prequels. Mine is Phantom Menace, whose biggest problem, for me, is the plot being too repetative compared with the original movies. I was very disappointed that we were once again taking a little ship inside a big one and blowing it up against all odds. Anakin wasn't terribly interesting either, but Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were both good. Darth Maul wasn't really a character, alas. That was another big problem.
I've never been that interested in the politics of it, though, so the fact that you find those to be the best part makes a lot of sense. I also have never seen the deleted scenes. As far as I remmber, there was a grand total of one real character scene in Attack of the Clone.
Thanks for your thoughts, though! For me, Episode 4 is my favorite of the Star Wars movies, followed by Episodes 5 and 6.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Nov 29 2012, 6:28pm
Post #25 of 37
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is an amazing actress, so any problems anyone has had with her character are definitely not her fault.
And I'm not saying that all the bad dialogue is intentional, but I do think at least some of it is meant to be.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Nov 29 2012, 6:34pm
Post #26 of 37
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is that Revenge of the Sith is not meant to be viewed alone. Starting with The Phantom Menace, Lucas was developing the Anakin character as having attachment issues. Obviously, any young child would hate to leave their home, their world, and their mother, but that is when Anakin's turn starts. It's not something that just happens in Revenge of the Sith.
He turns because he couldn't save his mother during episode 2 and when confronted with the same premonitions about his wife, he can't bear to let her die as well. And having grown up with Palpatine as a close confidant, he's easily manipulated into betraying the Jedi for the sake of Palpatine and the offer of power that he brings. Then of course, once he's started killing the Jedi and everyone else, there's no going back.
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Annael
Immortal
Nov 29 2012, 11:23pm
Post #27 of 37
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there's a reason why he became a huge star shortly afterwards.
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Patty
Immortal
Nov 30 2012, 8:34am
Post #28 of 37
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I, too, like that wise old man character. That's why Gandalf is my favorite LotR character.
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Fredeghar Wayfarer
Lorien
Nov 30 2012, 10:05am
Post #29 of 37
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My favorite he is, mmm, yes.
I love the contrast of a weird little gnome with a funny voice being in the greatest Jedi Master alive. It's a great dichotomy and a powerful lesson to not judge based on appearance. Plus his inverted speech patterns are awesome. And like Gollum, very fun to imitate.
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dubulous
Rohan
Nov 30 2012, 8:23pm
Post #30 of 37
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I voted for Han Solo but Princess Leia is a close second.
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Sam20
Lorien
Nov 30 2012, 8:55pm
Post #31 of 37
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I would say Luke Skywalker the unlikely farmer who become a Jedi Knight. Mark Hamill was great in this role from the young Jedi apprentice rescuing a princess to the Jedi Knight facing Vader and the Emperor. Han solo by Harrison Ford is a great character too but he does not bear all the burden as Luke does.
(This post was edited by sam90 on Nov 30 2012, 8:55pm)
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Starling
Half-elven
Dec 1 2012, 4:27am
Post #32 of 37
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I must tell everyone this very important piece of Star Wars information
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My ex-husband does the best Chewbacca voice in world history. Truly.
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Starling
Half-elven
Dec 1 2012, 5:08am
Post #34 of 37
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I am totally confident no-one could beat him, not even a cupboard.
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Tim
Tol Eressea
Dec 2 2012, 4:11am
Post #35 of 37
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I wanted to be Luke Skywalker and learn how to become a Jedi. I was seven so yeah...
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BoromirOfWinterfell
Rohan
Feb 14 2013, 3:39pm
Post #36 of 37
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Hmmmgrrggrgrrgghh...
Or at least, that's the best Chewbacca noise onomatopoeia I can come up with.
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sauget.diblosio
Tol Eressea
Apr 2 2013, 1:12am
Post #37 of 37
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I always love the old wizard...
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Gandalf, Merlin, Dumbledore, and... Ben Kenobi.
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