A Thousand Stars: Episode V, Part 35
Feb. 12th, 2026 09:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilOne by one our heroes are shown being tormented by their captors. First we have Chewbacca, howling in pain from a high-pitched siren. Then the torture inexplicably stops, which is a form of torture in itself. When will it come back? What are they planning? Why won't they explain anything?
In any case, Chewie uses the brief respite to examine Threepio's sad condition. There's a surprisingly tender moment as he holds the droid's head in his hands. For all of Threepio's obnoxiousness, his friends really are fond of him. Which makes it all the more painful when he's reactivated and appears to suffer a series of flashbacks; the realization that Imperial troops are in the city right before he gets shot.
Han's torture is similarly brutal, and once again it's a friend (or former friend, anyway) having to witness his pain that makes it all the worse. Just as Han is about to be lowered to the electric tormentor, we cut to Lando standing outside, trying not to visibly wince at the screams.
Vader has an awful knack for knowing just how to extract maximum anguish from his victims. And why wouldn't he, considering his past? He knows precisely what caused him the most acute agonies, driving him to desperation and darkness. Exquisite pain can drive one to empathy and active care for others, or it can drive one to hardened indifference and cruelty. Alas, Vader chose the latter. His reaction to Lando's protests is cold and unfeeling. Of course, he doesn't realize that all his snares to draw in Luke are also laying the groundwork for Lando to shift his allegiances and directly oppose the Empire's power. Evil is inherently self-destructive.
Next time, a bitter confrontation...
In any case, Chewie uses the brief respite to examine Threepio's sad condition. There's a surprisingly tender moment as he holds the droid's head in his hands. For all of Threepio's obnoxiousness, his friends really are fond of him. Which makes it all the more painful when he's reactivated and appears to suffer a series of flashbacks; the realization that Imperial troops are in the city right before he gets shot.
Han's torture is similarly brutal, and once again it's a friend (or former friend, anyway) having to witness his pain that makes it all the worse. Just as Han is about to be lowered to the electric tormentor, we cut to Lando standing outside, trying not to visibly wince at the screams.
Vader has an awful knack for knowing just how to extract maximum anguish from his victims. And why wouldn't he, considering his past? He knows precisely what caused him the most acute agonies, driving him to desperation and darkness. Exquisite pain can drive one to empathy and active care for others, or it can drive one to hardened indifference and cruelty. Alas, Vader chose the latter. His reaction to Lando's protests is cold and unfeeling. Of course, he doesn't realize that all his snares to draw in Luke are also laying the groundwork for Lando to shift his allegiances and directly oppose the Empire's power. Evil is inherently self-destructive.
Next time, a bitter confrontation...
