I’m starting to think all the “fans” who hate the prequel trilogy are just trollin’ the true fans.

Diva D there is no use trying to get these people to appreciate what Lucas has done but I do commend you for trying. Some people are just too simple minded.

Easiest example is Obi-Wizzle telling Luke about his dad in episode 4. Now compare that to what Ankle does in episode 3. He slaughters children….little kids. Do you think John Wayne Gacy’s old neighbors talk nice about the man now like “Well he kept his grass cut and was great with kids at parties”. This whole thing makes zero sense because rather than have Darth Vader’s decent into evil be well written and correctly paced, Anakin joins the dark side because his feelings get hurt. Everything is just painfully forced.

I tell you THE one illogical occurrence that just straight up pisses me off the most…R2D2 getting jets on his legs. Its fucking retarded on so many levels as the whole point of it is to have a stupid, throw away comedy scene and in the process it completely invalidates the logic of the later films when the jets disappear.

For Sci-Fi and Fantasy to work, a world has to be created with rules. Now the rules can be completely different than ours, but the rules must be followed. “Inception” did this and the film is great (though having a kick ass cast and soundtrack helps). “The Core” tried to be a realistic film, but the plot holes and the logic problems are so bad, that the film is comically bad. Decent cast, but its impossible to take the film seriously. Same thing for me with Star Wars since the Prequels have been made. I watch the films and its just one long train wreck to me. They spent more time on the costumes than on the script and it totally shows.

This doesn’t just happens to Lucas. This same problem, where a talented director just cashes in happens all the time. Its the reason we have “The Godfather Part III”

It’s not necessarily a prologue by definition. There’s a difference between a prologue and a first installment or chapter, and I think Phantom Menace errs more towards the former.

I’m not equating purity with wisdom, but rather with… priorities, I guess. Focus. “Street” wisdom versus “book” wisdom.

Had Qui-Gon trained Anakin as he planned to, I think the threat of darkness would have likely been avoided. Qui-Gon seemed more connected with the “living Force,” as he put it, than the rest of the Jedi. The others who opposed him – including Yoda, were arrogant. Sure, Yoda senses darkness in Anakin and he turns out to be right, but a lot of what brings about Anakin’s fall is the way the Jedi restrict and disrespect him. They invite him to betray a friend, they belittle his love for his mother, and they prohibit him from marrying the girl he loves. No wonder he takes an alternate route, when presented with one.

Qui-Gon, on the other hand, seemed to be a more emotional, truly wise Jedi. He’s the one who doesn’t dismiss Jar-Jar, Anakin, or even Watto as lesser beings. Where Qui-Gon sees beings full of potential, Obi-Wan sees “pathetic life-forms.” Sure, Yoda is relatively wise, but he admits blindness (in Attack of the Clones) to what he should be able to see.

“Wars not make one great,” he intones in Empire, but only AFTER the prequels, AFTER he sees what war did to him, his friends, and the Republic. That the Jedi would lead a clone army shows how far from their ideals they had fallen. Qui-Gon was closer to what I’d guess an “ideal” Jedi would be.

“…how these elite warriors … taken out by a single shot from a blaster”

I assume you’re talking about the Order 66 montage. All of those Jedi were in hostile environments, taken by surprise, and it’s not the first time in the series a Jedi has been killed by a sudden blaster attack (Attack of the Clones?). The Jedi are powerful, but not invulnerable. You’ll also remember Luke getting shot in Return of the Jedi.

As for the stereotyping, I don’t know why you’re getting sarcastic and angry towards me. I’m simply saying that I don’t think Phantom Menace hurt anybody with its dabbling in those areas (indeed, as a kid none of them even registered with me). Adventure storytelling tends to utilize such ideas, whether it be Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, or The Mummy. Do you disregard all of these movies?

As for taking the series “seriously,” one of the fun things about Star Wars is how it combines the somber with the absurd. It can be too much for some people, but I like the concoction Lucas makes. Why can’t I have fun AND be serious?