Discussing the Anakin/Vader vs. Ahsoka Fights in Episode 5

[Winter]

I've actively disliked all the lightsaber duels in the Disney Era of Star Wars, I've found a few of them lacking in emotional weight and ALL of them being, in my opinion, badly choreographed with movement often being to slow and moves that frankly just make no sense.

This extends to the shows as well with Obi-Wan vs. Vader in the Obi-Wan show being, again in my opinion, AWFUL. I can barely see anything, what I can see is unconvincing and often feels like a bad attempt at a Dragon Ball fight instead of a Star Wars fight.

I get why the fights are so slow paced as the lightsaber props are or were, from what I understand, not tough enough to go into a fight and they are also apparently really expensive. I get it having a prop that actually lights up like a real lightsaber helps to save time and money on effects but the consequence of this is that now fights no longer look as dangerous as they use to.

Thankfully it seems that the series might have found a way to fix that because the duels in the 5th episode of Ahsoka were AMAZING. I don't know what happened but I hope it happens again because this duel managed to avoid all the issues I've had starting with having more emotional investment. This the first time Anakin and Ahsoka have seen each other in literal decades in universe and while it's not the same actors who played the characters in the Clone Wars TV Series Hayden Christensen and Rosario Dawson do a fantastic job at recreating the dynamic Matt Lanter and Ashley Eckstein hand in TCW.

And on that note it's GREAT to see Christensen yet again as Anakin. I know a lot of fans didn't really like Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw in Return of the Jedi but I for one really liked it and I like how Christensen's return has been met with open arms by the fans which is great to see after all the shit he went through during the release of the Prequels. And seeing him here as what appears to be the Guardian of the World Between Worlds is brilliant.

I also love how he switches between Anakin and Vader and yet remains in character for both (a problem I had with Kylo in Rise of Skywalker is how he completely changed as Ben as the two had nothing in common with each other).

But what's even better is the choreography of these fights. As I said the fights are much faster here then they anywhere else in the Disney Era. It's not as fast as what we saw in the Prequel Trilogy but now it actually feels like there's real speed and choreography is just BREATHTAKING! I love how Ahsoka is always on the defensive, the pointless showy spins of Anakin, how they take into account the limited space of the walkway so they keep focused the two moving in one direction.

I even love the sound in this fight. For most of the Disney Era the sound of the Lightsabers have been, as odd as this may sound, too loud. The sound of the blade activating, hitting each other, swinging through the air is just deafening and overwhelms everything else we can hear. But in this fight the sound of the lightsabers are now nowhere near as loud as before so I can hear the music (which is pretty good) and it also blends into the music a lot better.

Again, I've no idea how this happened but I hope it continues to happen because this felt more like the fights from the Prequel Trilogy which I honestly love and hope we get to see more like it in the near future.

[clearspira]

Frankly, Disney already took such a shit on him giving his Chosen One title to Rey that I have lost all interest in the character. He didn't kill Palpatine. He didn't bring balance to anything. She did - the prophecy was about her. And apparantly he never felt like telling Luke that Palpatine survived or stepping in when his son became a murderous hobo. These Force Ghosts can see everything and nothing - or maybe he's just the same old child killer that he always was. Or what? Are we still going with the premise that throwing Palpatine down a life shaft somehow cancelled out all of the massive evil acts that he did?

Lucas ruined him, Johnson ruined him, and now everything is meant to be OK again becasue of a cute fight scene? Nah. No dice.

And this whole ''Guardian of the World Between Worlds'' rubbish is just setting up a multiverse. We all know it, and I sure as heck do not know anyone who wants it.

[hammerofglass]

Spending this much time and energy actively hating on a franchise you haven't liked for decades is outright self-harm. I'm genuinely getting worried about you.

Maybe go do something you actually like and relax?

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Thankfully it seems that the series might have found a way to fix that because the duels in the 5th episode of Ahsoka were AMAZING. I don't know what happened but I hope it happens again because this duel managed to avoid all the issues I've had starting with having more emotional investment.

So you’re saying you’re looking forward to more violence over solving things in a peaceful fashion?

[Winter]

Thankfully it seems that the series might have found a way to fix that because the duels in the 5th episode of Ahsoka were AMAZING. I don't know what happened but I hope it happens again because this duel managed to avoid all the issues I've had starting with having more emotional investment.

So you’re saying you’re looking forward to more violence over solving things in a peaceful fashion?

These aren't real people, they're fictional characters in a fictional story made for entertainment. What works best is however the narrative evolves and what works best for the characters. Keep in mind that one of the reasons I dislike the Throne Room fight in The Last Jedi is because it's an action scene for the sake of an action scene. You can cut it out and it would change nothing in the narrative which particularly funny because TLJ is often critical of that very sort of mindset as it chastises any and all characters who go to do action scenes and yet wastes a LOT of time on a pointless action scene.

And at the end of the day this IS an action series, action is the main selling point and one of those selling points is the lightsaber duels and frankly I've found them to be rather lackluster.

To close this out one of my favorite moments in the Mass Effect series is the point when you can convince Garrus to spare the man who betrayed his team, Sidonis. The moment is intense as you know you're one second away from messing it up but in the end you're able to convince Garrus that there's no need to kill the Sidonis.

It worked within the narrative I was building up to and was much more enjoyable to me then the combat part of the mission set before it.

[clearspira]

Spending this much time and energy actively hating on a franchise you haven't liked for decades is outright self-harm. I'm genuinely getting worried about you.

Maybe go do something you actually like and relax?

That's just it though. It isn't decades. It was 2016. As it was for many old school fans AKA the fans that made this franchise what it is.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Thankfully it seems that the series might have found a way to fix that because the duels in the 5th episode of Ahsoka were AMAZING. I don't know what happened but I hope it happens again because this duel managed to avoid all the issues I've had starting with having more emotional investment.

So you’re saying you’re looking forward to more violence over solving things in a peaceful fashion?

These aren't real people, they're fictional characters in a fictional story made for entertainment. What works best is however the narrative evolves and what works best for the characters. Keep in mind that one of the reasons I dislike the Throne Room fight in The Last Jedi is because it's an action scene for the sake of an action scene. You can cut it out and it would change nothing in the narrative which particularly funny because TLJ is often critical of that very sort of mindset as it chastises any and all characters who go to do action scenes and yet wastes a LOT of time on a pointless action scene.

And at the end of the day this IS an action series, action is the main selling point and one of those selling points is the lightsaber duels and frankly I've found them to be rather lackluster.

To close this out one of my favorite moments in the Mass Effect series is the point when you can convince Garrus to spare the man who betrayed his team, Sidonis. The moment is intense as you know you're one second away from messing it up but in the end you're able to convince Garrus that there's no need to kill the Sidonis.

It worked within the narrative I was building up to and was much more enjoyable to me then the combat part of the mission set before it.

You're certain his intent on the matter is honorable?

[hammerofglass]

Spending this much time and energy actively hating on a franchise you haven't liked for decades is outright self-harm. I'm genuinely getting worried about you.

Maybe go do something you actually like and relax?

That's just it though. It isn't decades. It was 2016. As it was for many old school fans AKA the fans that made this franchise what it is.

Ah, from the "Lukas ruined Anakin" I was thinking 1999.

[Winter]

Ah, from the "Lukas ruined Anakin" I was thinking 1999.

I actually remember right after Disney bought Star Wars and we had gotten season 6 of the Clone Wars and Lucas insisted that the name of the Sith Home World's name be changed. Nothing about the actual planet just the name as he thought it sounded cooler.

And fans were PISSED! I remember one reviewer went on a 2 minute long rant as how this was the final straw and how he was so happy that the series was bought by Disney because they would no doubt show the franchise and lore the respect it deserved. And then a few years later Disney changed the Sith home world completely including a new name that sounds like testicle.

Now everyone who was complaining about Lucas ruining Star Wars and how Disney would save it are now switching their tune and saying how much they miss Lucas and want him to save it from Disney.

As I've shown a number of times there are stories and moments from the Disney Era that I honestly enjoy. Hell I will continue to admit that I thought that Andor was going to crash and burn because it was focusing on a character no one really cared about or asked for and in the end it turned out to be a great show.

My point in all this is that no matter who owns the series there will always be good and bad stories and you can either just role with it by pocking fun at the things you don't like while praising the things you do enjoy.

I mean in my comparison review of The Thrawn Trilogy vs. The Disney Sequel Trilogy instead of comparing TDST to the Original Trilogy I instead compared it to newer shows, movies, comics and novels to help go over my issues with it (with She-Ra being the one I pointed to most). I wanted to make it clear that this wasn't some sort of "The Old Days Were the Best Days" but a simple comparison of the two Sequel Trilogies while also celebrating new stories that shared ideas with TDST that did those same ideas well.

What we have now isn't perfect and much of the past had great moments but the past had it's flaws to and the present nor is everything made today not as good as what came before.

There are GLORIOUS stories out today that are as good as anything released a few years. I could live in the past, but I'd rather see what tomorrow has to bring.

[clearspira]

Spending this much time and energy actively hating on a franchise you haven't liked for decades is outright self-harm. I'm genuinely getting worried about you.

Maybe go do something you actually like and relax?

That's just it though. It isn't decades. It was 2016. As it was for many old school fans AKA the fans that made this franchise what it is.

Ah, from the "Lukas ruined Anakin" I was thinking 1999.

Making Anakin a child killer ruined his redemption arc. And there is no argument against that unless you genuinely do believe that massacring a room full of children is worth less than growing a pair and turning on your ''master''.

But what Disney did was worse. Because now Anakin's entire Prequel arc is POINTLESS. Anakin's virgin birth, Qui Gon and Obi Wan begging to train him because of his destiny, the prophecy. All of it now means nothing. Anakin brought balance to nothing, he achieved nothing, he did nothing.