Star Words: Episode V, Part 23
May. 28th, 2020 11:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilBack on the Executor, we see Vader introduce a new element into a chase that has previously involved only the Empire and the Rebellion. Bounty hunters. This is a fairly brief scene, but it offers an evocative glimpse of the underworld in the Star Wars galaxy, the same as the cantina sequence in Episode IV or the nightclub in Episode II.
For people who delight in morally ambiguous characters, this is apparently the best part of Star Wars; the mercenaries and assassins and the space version of the Wild West. I guess that explains the appeal of The Mandalorian? Well, that and an infinitely-memeable teensy adorable baby. Whatever. To each their own, but I prefer a wider scope.
Anyway, the visual contrast is highly illustrative. Each hunter has their distinctive look; all are clearly disreputable. They stand in contrast to the Imperials in crisp, identical uniforms -- and it's clear from once officer's disdainful term of "scum" that not everyone agrees with Vader's choice of unconventional resources.
Vader cares not a bit for that. He informs the hunters of a considerable reward and allows whatever methods they deem necessary -- as long as the captives are taken alive. Addressing Boba Fett in particular, he adds a stern specification.
"No disintegrations."
Note: use this phrase whenever you're giving anyone instructions. See if they answer with a grudging, "As you wish."
This is spartan, efficient character-building. From this and Fett's reluctant response, we know that such disintegrations are something of a calling-card for this bounty hunter. And we know that Vader knows this as well. He doesn't share other Imperials' distaste for relying on underworld elements, and seems quite familiar with some of their more notorious figures. (Seeing how comfortably Obi-Wan navigated the cantina, we might surmise that Vader acquired this predilection at least partly from his former master!)
Meanwhile, we don't need a prolonged introduction to Boba Fett. If we knew him as a boy seeking vengeance from his appearance in the prequels, this is a natural extension of that. If this is our first glimpse of him, in mere seconds we learn that he's an infamously ruthless bounty hunter. In a wider context, his quick popularity might have had something to do with marketing and hype. For me, this scene and his tracking skills are enough to establish his character. (And my feelings about his death are quite similar to that of Darth Maul's character -- his death was fully appropriate and not a let-down, however Disney might attempt to resurrect him via shameless pandering to fans. I'll get to that more in the Episode VI installments.)
Welp, things are looking pretty grim for our heroes. Is it possible the Falcon can escape the Imperials yet again, while also evading this brutal crew of hunters? We can only hope -- oh, guess not. The scene ends with an officer triumphantly proclaiming, "Sir, we have them!"
Next, a (near) head-on collision with a Star Destroyer....
For people who delight in morally ambiguous characters, this is apparently the best part of Star Wars; the mercenaries and assassins and the space version of the Wild West. I guess that explains the appeal of The Mandalorian? Well, that and an infinitely-memeable teensy adorable baby. Whatever. To each their own, but I prefer a wider scope.
Anyway, the visual contrast is highly illustrative. Each hunter has their distinctive look; all are clearly disreputable. They stand in contrast to the Imperials in crisp, identical uniforms -- and it's clear from once officer's disdainful term of "scum" that not everyone agrees with Vader's choice of unconventional resources.
Vader cares not a bit for that. He informs the hunters of a considerable reward and allows whatever methods they deem necessary -- as long as the captives are taken alive. Addressing Boba Fett in particular, he adds a stern specification.
"No disintegrations."
Note: use this phrase whenever you're giving anyone instructions. See if they answer with a grudging, "As you wish."
This is spartan, efficient character-building. From this and Fett's reluctant response, we know that such disintegrations are something of a calling-card for this bounty hunter. And we know that Vader knows this as well. He doesn't share other Imperials' distaste for relying on underworld elements, and seems quite familiar with some of their more notorious figures. (Seeing how comfortably Obi-Wan navigated the cantina, we might surmise that Vader acquired this predilection at least partly from his former master!)
Meanwhile, we don't need a prolonged introduction to Boba Fett. If we knew him as a boy seeking vengeance from his appearance in the prequels, this is a natural extension of that. If this is our first glimpse of him, in mere seconds we learn that he's an infamously ruthless bounty hunter. In a wider context, his quick popularity might have had something to do with marketing and hype. For me, this scene and his tracking skills are enough to establish his character. (And my feelings about his death are quite similar to that of Darth Maul's character -- his death was fully appropriate and not a let-down, however Disney might attempt to resurrect him via shameless pandering to fans. I'll get to that more in the Episode VI installments.)
Welp, things are looking pretty grim for our heroes. Is it possible the Falcon can escape the Imperials yet again, while also evading this brutal crew of hunters? We can only hope -- oh, guess not. The scene ends with an officer triumphantly proclaiming, "Sir, we have them!"
Next, a (near) head-on collision with a Star Destroyer....
no subject
Date: 2020-05-29 01:14 am (UTC)The obsession of others with Boba Fett never really appealed to me (and I had his action figure quite early on, too), but in a way it might have taken thinking over his appearance in Episode II to see some unexpected depth to his demise; as you said, that might have to wait for when we get to Episode VI. Of course, while Disney may be trying to bring him back now, he was also being brought back in the Expanded Universe of the 1990s, and he made a brief reappearance in the original Marvel comics...
no subject
Date: 2020-05-30 12:45 pm (UTC)