Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Question: Why does Obi-Wan want to watch over Luke, but nobody needs to watch Leia?

Answer: Leia was placed into the care of a very wealthy family, and would be given protection 24/7. Luke, on the other hand, was placed into the care of a very secluded home and a poor family, with almost little to no protection from outside dangers. Luke would have been more at risk if the Empire found out who he was.

Casual Person

Answer: Incidentally, this question is kind of being addressed in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Bishop73

Answer: At the start of the movie the only people who knew are Dooku and others close to Palpatine. It's possible Grievous knew too, but we never get a confirmation. By the end of the movie all the remaining Jedi know, as well as Senator Organa and all the clone troops. The Senate doesn't.

lionhead

It is said that in the film's official novelization, Grievous doesn't know Palpatine is Sidious.

DFirst1

Dooku, Maul, Maas Amedda, Sly Moore, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Ochi of Bestoon all knew.

Question: Since the Jedi already knew that Count Dooku is a Sith Lord, did the Jedi ever find out that he is also Darth Tyranus?

DFirst1

Answer: Unlikely as Obi-Wan knew from Jango Fett that he was recruited by a man named Tyranus and with that information they could have known the clone army was ordered by the sith. Its possible after the betrayal that Yoda and Obi-Wan figured it out, but by then it was not much use.

lionhead

It is eventually revealed in the Clone Wars series to Kenobi and Skywalker that Tyranus and Dooku are one and the same. Prior to this, the Jedi had no idea who Tyranus was.

BaconIsMyBFF

But like I said that would mean they knew the clone army was connected to the sith.

lionhead

It most certainly should. That Kenobi never connects the dots is an astounding oversight. I've always felt like it was a writing mistake to have Jango Fett reveal the name Tyranus to Kenobi, as it makes the Jedi, and Kenobi especially, seem incredibly stupid for not putting everything together. The fact that the Clone Wars series makes it clear that Kenobi knows exactly who Tyranus is but the Jedi still trust the clones afterwards is insane. It would have made much more sense to keep the identity of Tyranus a secret to the Jedi.

BaconIsMyBFF

Yep, the Clone Wars series tends to do that a lot.

lionhead

Then why did Obi Wan didn't do anything? Like telling the Jedi order that the Clone army is is a part of the Sith Plan.

DFirst1

I think that's a mistake in the clone wars series, which was made after Episode III was released. In the movies they didn't know.

lionhead

Good point. But I wonder if the Jedi ever wondered about Dooku's Sith name.

DFirst1

Hm I see what you mean. Maybe they didn't think he had one? I think Dooku preferred his real name over his moniker. Since he had power with his name, he still called himself Dooku. Also, his identity as a Sith was a secret for a long time, but even as he was revealed as a Sith he still introduced himself as Dooku.

lionhead

Among the three apprentices of Darth Sidious, Tyranus is the one who ressembles Palpatine the most. They're both mature, noble, political leader who has a secret sith agenda.Both of them hide their Sith Identity.

Question: This question is about all of the prequels. Has George Lucas and/or Hayden Christensen ever commented on the massive of amount of criticism for Hayden's performance as Anakin?

Answer: Not exactly. George Lucas generally chalks up all the negative reactions to the prequels to overly high expectations and his own unique writing and directing style. Christensen has only ever vaguely commented on the experience not being the best but hasn't really said anything about the criticism of his performance.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Palpatine killed Plagueis in his sleep. Is there any book/information that tells if Palpatine took precautions to avoid possibly being killed this way (by an apprentice of his own)?

Answer: In one of the books I've read, it mentions that Palpatine doesn't sleep. He meditates so he is always aware of his surroundings.

Chosen answer: Well, we don't know whether Yoda could have defeated Dooku or not, as Dooku resorted to trickery in order to get away - by trying to drop the column onto Anakin and Obi-Wan, then escaping while Yoda's attention was diverted. As such, the battle was inconclusive, although the fact that Dooku had to cheat in order to escape does seem to indicate that he himself doubted his ability to defeat the Jedi Master. As such, we can't really determine whether Anakin or Yoda had the higher power level from their respective battles with Dooku - a more telling indicator would be that Obi-Wan, who is, at best, on level terms with Yoda and is, to be honest, probably less powerful, was ultimately able to defeat Anakin.

Tailkinker

Question: What happens to the clone army between episodes III and IV? I assume they are not the same as the Imperial forces in the original Star Wars movies (unless they got new ships, uniforms, etc.).

killin_kellit

Chosen answer: You assume incorrectly, I'm afraid, it's the same army. Their equipment has evolved over the twenty-year period between the films, as you would expect to happen. The main change to the ground forces is that the stormtroopers from episodes 4 to 6 are conventionally recruited troops rather than clones (which may account for their apparently decreased effectiveness) - very few, if any, of the original clone troopers would still be alive, given the levels of combat that they've seen and their accelerated aging process. The only faction where only the original clones remain is the 501st Legion, otherwise known as Vader's Fist. They were the clones who helped Anakin overthrow and destroy the Jedi Temple.

Tailkinker

Chosen answer: Absolutely correct. Similarly, the Episode I dispute between Naboo and the Trade Federation was an excuse for Palpatine to become Supreme Chancellor. And in Episode II, the separatist movement was an excuse for him to be given emergency powers, so he and Dooku could get the Clone Wars started.

Matty Blast

Question: I have never understood why Luke and Leia needed to be hidden with two different families. As a princess, Leia is actually in the public eye. It would have been much safer to let Owen and Beru raise her along with Luke. Why keep them apart?

Answer: The reason they are split is so if one is discovered they still have the other. Leia certainly lives a much more public life but she could easily be passed off as the daughter of Bail Organa since she takes his last name and lives as his daughter. The real question is why on earth would Obi Wan give Luke to family that Vader is aware of and let him keep the Skywalker name?

BaconIsMyBFF

Adding to this, Tatooine wouldn't be somewhere where Vader would want to go. He doesn't have fond memories there e.g. death of his mother, slaying all those Tuscan raiders.

Also, if I remember correctly, no-one knew she was having twins. Everyone knew she was pregnant, so when Luke showed up it wasn't necessarily questioned. Leia was given to another family so no-one would put it together that she was also Vader's child and therefore hiding her from existence.

scaryterri

Answer: Nobody knew Luke and Leia were alive, most did not know they existed, others thought they were dead. If someone with the name of Skywalker were around, it could be anyone. Aunt Uncle, Cousin, not necessarily the Skywalker. Besides, the Empire was busy fighting and maintaining control of an entire Galaxy.

It certainly could be a popular name, but it is still tempting fate since this particular Skywalker is being raised by Anakin's step-brother. A step-brother that Anakin is not only aware of but has personally met. Also, once Vader finds out that the pilot who blew up the Death Star was named Skywalker, he knows that young man must be his son.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: Obi-Wan said they needed to be taken somewhere where the Sith could not sense their presence and then Yoda said they needed to be separated, which one could assume was to increase the chance the Sith won't sense them. They also made it seem like Padme was still pregnant when she died, meaning everyone would think her child (ren) died before being born. Leia being in the public eye wasn't really a factor or concern. Bail and his wife had always talked about adopting a girl, so when they took Leia, no-one would question where she came from, especially if the Organas appeared loyal to the Emperor. In "There is Another" (from "From a Certain Point of View", considered canon), it's suggested Yoda's plan was to train Leia and not Luke. So sending Luke to live with his family would hopefully limit his development of the force, limit his involvement with the Empire, and if discovered, draw attention away from Leia.

Bishop73

Answer: There's never a point during their time on that planet that depicts their he ever can't. He starts out hiding in Padme's ship and waiting for the opportunity to show himself. Shortly after they fight and ends when Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead and leaves. There's never a point that he can't sense him.

Quantom X

Question: When Mace Windu deflected the sith lightning, did Palpatine fake being weak or in agony? Was it a test to see if Anakin would save him? If so, what did he mean when he shouted unlimited power?

Answer: It may not have been entirely faked, although it does seem somewhat unlikely that a Sith Lord would be affected in any serious way by his own Force lightning, but Palpatine was certainly not remotely as endangered as he made out. It does seem that it was a test, designed to finally ensnare Anakin in the Sith web, by forcing him to turn on another Jedi. His shout of 'unlimited power' seems to have been a final taunt to the suddenly helpless Mace Windu.

Tailkinker

Answer: It has been established that Sidious knows the Force extremely well, if not better than anyone. Perhaps he was able to shield himself using the Force in a way that prevented Dooku from sensing he was going to betray him.

Casual Person

But Tyranus is powerful. Even Sidious feared him when he was a Jedi.

DFirst1

Answer: I don't think a Force-user can specifically sense that a betrayal will happen. Maybe Dooku could sense danger, but not who would cause it or when. Also, he might have been feeling over-confident (despite his age and experience). According to one book, Palpatine/Sidious told him that they would kill Obi-wan together, then convince Anakin to join them.

Question: Near the end of the movie, Obi-wan does not seem at all convinced that Darth Vader has any good left in him. But in "Return of the Jedi", Vader tells Luke that Obi-wan once thought as Luke does (regarding the possibility of Vader being redeemed). What was he referring to?

Answer: The Jedi way would be to always strive for redemption. Even if he didn't really believe it possible, Obi-Wan hoped to bring Anakin back from the Dark Side up until the very end.

Captain Defenestrator

There was a question on this site, "Did Obi-Wan go to Mustafar just to kill Anakin, or possibly try to redeem him?" The answer is he went there to stop Anakin at any cost, whether by converting him back from the dark side, subduing him, or killing him.

DFirst1

Question: When Obi Wan tells Padme the truth regarding Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, he mentions to the Senator that, "He was deceived by a lie. We all were." I don't know what he means by that sentence. Can someone explain it to me?

DFirst1

Answer: He's referring to the revelation that Palpatine is the Dark Lord of The Sith. Palpatine presented himself as a champion of peace and democracy when in reality, everything he did was a ploy in his quest to rise to power, and everyone fell for it until it was too late.

Phaneron

Question: Was part of the reason Anakin saved Palpatine because he saw him as a friend, and did Palpatine see Anakin as one, or did he just need him for his goals?

Answer: Anakin saved Palpatine because he believed (due to Palpatine's manipulation) that Padme would die without his help. Palpatine wanted Anakin as an apprentice, not a friend. He sensed the power in Anakin and knew he would make a powerful apprentice.

Adding on to this comment: I don't think Palpatine truly cares about anyone as a friend. He manipulates people, is a murderer, and does whatever it takes to gain power. When someone is a loyal servant, he is always prepared to dispose of them.

Question: Here are a couple of questions: 1) Let's say Anakin let Mace Windu slay Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious. If that happened, would Anakin have been kicked off the Jedi Council because Windu told Anakin to wait at the Jedi Temple and not interfere? 2) Would Anakin have been promoted to Jedi Master if he stayed behind and let Windu kill Palpatine? You would think that because prior to that Windu tells Anakin, "you will have gained my trust."

Answer: 1) It is unlikely given the situation that had Windu killed Palpatine, Anakin would be punished at all for defying Windu. It would only have helped Windu's case that he wasn't assassinating Palpatine because Anakin was now a witness. 2) Likely he would have been promoted, the darkness that surrounded Anakin and his unusual relationship with Palpatine is all that kept him from achieving the rank.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: In Anakin's mind Kenobi betrayed Anakin by holding him back from his potential, by helping the Jedi attempt to overthrow Palpatine, and by manipulating Padme against him. This leads to a physical fight between the two wherein Kenobi severely maims Anakin, and as far as Anakin knows at the time would likely lead to his inevitable death. By this point he truly, passionately hates Obi-Wan Kenobi.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Why is everyone cheering when Palpatine reorganizes the Republic to an empire? You'd think they'd be doing the opposite like Padme and Organa.

Answer: Because they believe the Empire will be stronger and safer. They're making the historically dangerous choice of security over freedom.

Question: This applies to the entire prequel trilogy. Can the Jedi (especially Jedi council) be considered anti-heroes? Or no? As a bevy of "protagonists", they sure have obvious shortcomings which leads to their downfall and in the end are not heroic in much sense at all.

Answer: I would argue that the Jedi cannot be considered antiheroes. A major characteristic of antiheroes is a lack of conventional morals, and they typically act in self-serving ways. For example, many antiheroes oppose the antagonist of a story for revenge rather than for the "greater good." The Jedi are presented as highly moral and indeed quite selfless. It is true the Jedi are flawed and their flaws lead to their downfall, but merely having flaws does not make you an antihero. Their actions fighting the Clone Wars were certainly heroic, even if they ultimately lead to Palpatine gaining more power.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: Padme.

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Anakin arrives on Mustafar and tells R2-D2 to stay with the ship, he pulls the hood of his robe over his head with two organic hands. His right hand should be mechanical. [This mistake is mentioned in the audio commentary: this shot is taken from a shot of Obi-Wan later in the film when leaving Padme's apartment. Still a mistake, though.] (01:32:55)

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Trivia: General Grievous is permanently coughing when he talks. The cause is revealed in the last episode of the animated Emmy-winning TV series "Clone Wars" (albeit technically no longer canon). In that episode, Grievous kidnaps Palpatine and before leaving, is attacked by Mace Windu, who destroys part of his chest armour, making him cough for the first time.

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