Deep Dive... Revenge of the Sith | #71

Deep Dive… Revenge of the Sith – Episode 71

Recorded: July 21st, 2022

Episode Overview

Chewie and Pip return to a galaxy far, far away to conclude their Star Wars prequel trilogy retrospective with a deep dive into Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

Nearly two months after their previous episode, the guys revisit the 2005 conclusion to George Lucas’ prequel trilogy – and discover that time, additional Star Wars stories, and especially the Obi-Wan Kenobi series have changed the way they look at the movie. What was once remembered much more negatively now emerges as easily the strongest and most rewatchable entry in the prequel trilogy.

The discussion follows the movie from its explosive opening battle through Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side, examining Count Dooku’s death, General Grievous, the Jedi Council, the Chosen One prophecy, Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s manipulation of Anakin, Mace Windu’s confrontation with the Sith Lord, Order 66, and the slaughter at the Jedi Temple. Chewie and Pip repeatedly return to the central question of the entire prequel trilogy: Did George Lucas successfully earn Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader?

They also examine the increasingly tragic relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, culminating in their massive showdown on Mustafar, while discussing Hayden Christensen’s performance, George Lucas’ dialogue and direction, Padmé’s controversial death, the birth of Luke and Leia, and Darth Vader’s infamous first moments inside the iconic black suit.

Finally, Chewie and Pip step back from Revenge of the Sith to evaluate the prequel trilogy as a whole, discuss where Episode III ranks among the three films, and consider how their opinions have changed after revisiting the entire trilogy.

Topics Discussed

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Revisiting the prequel trilogy
The impact of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Episode III
Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship
Hayden Christensen’s performance
George Lucas’ writing and direction
Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side
Emperor Palpatine’s manipulation of Anakin
Count Dooku’s death
General Grievous
Padmé’s pregnancy
The Jedi Council
Anakin being denied the rank of Master
The Chosen One prophecy
Balance in the Force
The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise
Kashyyyk and Chewbacca
Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous
Mace Windu vs. Palpatine
The birth of Darth Vader
Order 66
The Jedi Temple and the younglings
Anakin’s redemption problem
Padmé and Obi-Wan confronting Anakin
Mustafar
Obi-Wan vs. Anakin
Yoda vs. Emperor Palpatine
Padmé’s death
Darth Vader’s suit
The infamous Vader “NO!”
Luke and Leia
Qui-Gon Jinn
The ending of the prequel trilogy
Ranking the Star Wars prequels
Whether Revenge of the Sith has improved with age

Episode Chapters

0:00 – Intro
1:50 – Returning to the Star Wars Prequel Deep Dives
4:19 – Revisiting Revenge of the Sith
5:01 – Did Obi-Wan Kenobi Make Episode III Better?
7:24 – Anakin & Obi-Wan’s Relationship
8:14 – Revenge of the Sith Background & Reception
10:05 – Hayden Christensen, Dialogue & George Lucas
12:02 – The Revenge of the Sith Title
12:42 – Rewriting Anakin’s Turn to the Dark Side
14:17 – Seeing Revenge of the Sith Together in 2005
15:20 – The Opening Crawl
16:40 – The Battle Over Coruscant
18:19 – General Grievous, Dooku & Palpatine
19:08 – Anakin Executes Count Dooku
21:03 – How the Prequel Trilogy Could Have Been Structured
25:01 – Escaping Grievous’ Ship
25:49 – Padmé’s Pregnancy & Anakin’s Visions
26:38 – What Was Palpatine’s Ultimate Goal?
28:05 – The Jedi Council & The Chosen One Prophecy
33:05 – The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise
36:40 – Palpatine’s Ultimate Bait and Switch
38:24 – Kashyyyk, Yoda & Chewbacca
39:55 – Anakin & Obi-Wan as Brothers
43:17 – How the Obi-Wan Series Changes Their Relationship
44:53 – Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous
51:48 – Mace Windu vs. Palpatine
52:06 – Anakin Skywalker’s Fall
54:32 – “Rise, Darth Vader”
56:33 – Has Anakin’s Turn Been Earned?
59:28 – Order 66 & The Jedi Temple
1:00:00 – Did Anakin Killing the Younglings Go Too Far?
1:08:54 – Anakin Turns on Padmé
1:09:44 – Obi-Wan vs. Anakin on Mustafar
1:18:02 – Padmé’s Controversial Death
1:20:04 – Darth Vader Gets the Suit
1:20:22 – The Infamous Vader “NO!”
1:23:25 – Luke, Leia & The End of the Prequel Trilogy
1:26:40 – Has Revenge of the Sith Improved With Age?
1:34:07 – Is Revenge of the Sith Recommendable?
1:34:55 – Ranking the Prequel Trilogy
1:35:36 – Ranking Every Star Wars Movie?
1:36:01 – Final Thoughts on the Prequel Retrospective
1:37:38 – What’s Next After Star Wars?
1:38:17 – Looking Ahead to Halloween Ends