Phantom Menace is the best Prequel.

[Eddie Roth]

You people are getting absurd. TPM is not as bad as its reputation, yes, but the best prequel is very clearly ROTS. The only one of them that rivals the OT. Minus the still-cringeworthy Anakin-Padme moments early on, it's absolutely stunning. Despite all the downbeat stuff that happens in the second half, it manages to have precisely the verve and sense of adventure that the originals had. Which cannot be said for its immediate predecessors.

 

[Mach5]

You people are getting absurd.

Subjectivity can often be mistaken for absurdity.

 

[sonak]

\
That seems to be the practically the Rule of Two to a tee.

I don't know. I took it to mean that the Emperor could only have one apprentice, or that he wanted a younger, stronger one. That makes sense.

Not that there can only be two Sith existing at once at any one time anywhere in the galaxy. That is stupid.

I agree, and started a thread on the topic a while back called something like "the Sith rule of two is stupid."


No organization could or would work the way the Sith do.

It's a fragile, unstable dynamic.


The two of them couldn't go anywhere together for fear that an accident would mean the end of the Sith order.

 

[Trekker4747]

You people are getting absurd. TPM is not as bad as its reputation, yes, but the best prequel is very clearly ROTS. The only one of them that rivals the OT. Minus the still-cringeworthy Anakin-Padme moments early on, it's absolutely stunning. Despite all the downbeat stuff that happens in the second half, it manages to have precisely the verve and sense of adventure that the originals had. Which cannot be said for its immediate predecessors.

Yeah, TPM is as good as its predecessors. When Jar-Jar Binks trips all over everything and accidentally knock-open the cart full of bombs the reap havoc on the battlefield. Every bit as exciting as the Han, Leia, Chewie's and Luke escape from the Death Star!

When a young Anakin accidentally gets a fightership running and flying to the Trade Federation ship and accidentally flies it inside and blows the thing up. Just as good as the trench-run with the X-Wings!

All great stuff. Yep.

I mean, who needs Han Solo running from Storm Troopers while under fire when you have Jar Jar accidentally getting grappled by a droid torso, trying to shake it off and the blaster from the torso keeps shooting and hitting on-coming droids, and that scene is ALL CGI, too!

Lots to love about the action pieces in TPM! ANH, has got nothing on it!

 

[RoJoHen]

^I think you misread the post you're quoting.

 

[Trekker4747]

Eh, my point still stands. The PT has nothing on the OT as far as adventure and excitement goes.

 

[TheLobes]

You people are getting absurd. TPM is not as bad as its reputation, yes, but the best prequel is very clearly ROTS. The only one of them that rivals the OT. Minus the still-cringeworthy Anakin-Padme moments early on, it's absolutely stunning.

What part of it was stunning?

 

[TremblingBluStar]

What part of it was stunning?

Anakin killing the younglins was pretty cool!

I agree that RoTS is probably the best of the prequels, in my opinion. Not because it's a good movie, but because it is an average scifi adventure in a horrible trilogy.

 

[Broccoli]

You people are getting absurd. TPM is not as bad as its reputation, yes, but the best prequel is very clearly ROTS. The only one of them that rivals the OT. Minus the still-cringeworthy Anakin-Padme moments early on, it's absolutely stunning. Despite all the downbeat stuff that happens in the second half, it manages to have precisely the verve and sense of adventure that the originals had. Which cannot be said for its immediate predecessors.

What do you mean, "you people"?

 

[Uxi]

Lots to love about the action pieces in TPM! ANH, has got nothing on it!

Seriously! Especially when you consider old man Guinness and David Prowse's gimped wiffle bat lighsaber 'dueling' compared to Ewan McGregor and Ray Park. Hey, this selective scene critique is fun!

 

[Uxi]

Yeah. From the same source I just cited:

EMPEROR: Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!

That seems to be the practically the Rule of Two to a tee.

Indeed. One wields power and the other wants it. Master gets old and sodded and gets dead. Apprentice gets uppity too quick and he gets dead but if he succeeds, he gets his own apprentice. The "rule" simply keeps them from going factional/tribal, which will fight each other as much, if not more than against the Jedi.

Accidents? Remember, in Obi-wan's experience "there's no such thing as luck." That would include bad luck. These guys are all about destiny and that would seem to preclude accidents.

 

[sonak]

Yeah. From the same source I just cited:

EMPEROR: Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!

That seems to be the practically the Rule of Two to a tee.

Indeed. One wields power and the other wants it. Master gets old and sodded and gets dead. Apprentice gets uppity too quick and he gets dead but if he succeeds, he gets his own apprentice. The "rule" simply keeps them from going factional/tribal, which will fight each other as much, if not more than against the Jedi.

Accidents? Remember, in Obi-wan's experience "there's no such thing as luck." That would include bad luck. These guys are all about destiny and that would seem to preclude accidents.

well except that the "rule" was because the Sith start infighting like crazy if there are too many of them, yet they STILL infight even as master/apprentice, constantly seeking to betray each other.


Only thing that's changed is there are less of them. Brilliant reform there.

 

[General_Phoenix]

Things must have been fairly stagnant with Emperor and Vader until Luke came along, then all of a sudden they couldn't wait to turn this new force user to their cause. Emperor didn't want a cripple in a life support suit anymore, and Vader wanted the old man gone.

 

[TremblingBluStar]

Seriously! Especially when you consider old man Guinness and David Prowse's gimped wiffle bat lighsaber 'dueling' compared to Ewan McGregor and Ray Park. Hey, this selective scene critique is fun!

I'd rather see two characters I care about sit and wack each other with yard sticks than two I don't hardly know or give a crap about jump around in highly choreographed dancing/fighting for 20 minutes.

The music was the only really memorable part of that scene.

Things must have been fairly stagnant with Emperor and Vader until Luke came along

I bet they sat around playing Scrabble all day.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I love Guinness vs. Prowse. I thought it was pretty clear that Ben was just hanging on, but he did his job perfectly to keep Vader engaged. He even has a good parry that stalls Vader's inevitable advance.

Yeah, it's much better than Dance Phooey.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The two of them couldn't go anywhere together for fear that an accident would mean the end of the Sith order.

And fear feeds the Dark Side...so maybe that's on purpose....

 

[Uxi]

Things must have been fairly stagnant with Emperor and Vader until Luke came along, then all of a sudden they couldn't wait to turn this new force user to their cause. Emperor didn't want a cripple in a life support suit anymore, and Vader wanted the old man gone.

I imagine it would have been like Sidious with HIS master. Trying to get enough power to knock off the old bastard, probably in his sleep or when he's taking a crap or getting his freak on.

 

[Uxi]

Yeah. From the same source I just cited:
That seems to be the practically the Rule of Two to a tee.

Indeed. One wields power and the other wants it. Master gets old and sodded and gets dead. Apprentice gets uppity too quick and he gets dead but if he succeeds, he gets his own apprentice. The "rule" simply keeps them from going factional/tribal, which will fight each other as much, if not more than against the Jedi.

Accidents? Remember, in Obi-wan's experience "there's no such thing as luck." That would include bad luck. These guys are all about destiny and that would seem to preclude accidents.

well except that the "rule" was because the Sith start infighting like crazy if there are too many of them, yet they STILL infight even as master/apprentice, constantly seeking to betray each other.

Is it quibbling to differentiate between treachery and 'infighting?'

They could probably manage "Rule of Four" or even "Rule of Eight" but more than that a dozen or so would get to be too much. The worst problem is that it would get geometric as each guy keeps his own hangers on to 'promote' in the instance he succeeds at knocking off his master.

Only thing that's changed is there are less of them. Brilliant reform there.

Seemed to mostly work out in the context of the universe.

 

[sonak]

Indeed. One wields power and the other wants it. Master gets old and sodded and gets dead. Apprentice gets uppity too quick and he gets dead but if he succeeds, he gets his own apprentice. The "rule" simply keeps them from going factional/tribal, which will fight each other as much, if not more than against the Jedi.

Accidents? Remember, in Obi-wan's experience "there's no such thing as luck." That would include bad luck. These guys are all about destiny and that would seem to preclude accidents.

well except that the "rule" was because the Sith start infighting like crazy if there are too many of them, yet they STILL infight even as master/apprentice, constantly seeking to betray each other.

Is it quibbling to differentiate between treachery and 'infighting?'

They could probably manage "Rule of Four" or even "Rule of Eight" but more than that a dozen or so would get to be too much. The worst problem is that it would get geometric as each guy keeps his own hangers on to 'promote' in the instance he succeeds at knocking off his master.

Only thing that's changed is there are less of them. Brilliant reform there.

Seemed to mostly work out in the context of the universe.

well it works out in the context of the SW universe because it's written that way. It's like that Buffy episode where Andrew or Jonathan says something about how Superman always defeats Lex's evil scheme or something, and Warren replies "that's because it's Superman's book!"

When you're the writer, you can have a character who's outnumbered by fifty thousand to one triumph if you want to, since you control the events.


The more relevant question would be if the Sith rule of Two would be realistic OUTSIDE of the context of the SW universe.(the secret organization stuff, leaving aside the Force powers stuff)

 

[TremblingBluStar]

They could probably manage "Rule of Four" or even "Rule of Eight" but more than that a dozen or so would get to be too much. The worst problem is that it would get geometric as each guy keeps his own hangers on to 'promote' in the instance he succeeds at knocking off his master.

I don't know. There was no rule to limit the number of people in the Mirror Universe Starfleet, and they regularly betrayed each other as well.

I'm not saying the explanation is a bad one, but we shouldn't have to rack our brains to explain a stupid rule the movie should have explained.

The purpose of the Jedi order is to "bring balance to the Force". Lucas explained that Vader brought balance by destroying the Sith. Wouldn't it make sense then that the Sith would want to prevent this from happening? Wouldn't having more than two make this easier?