ScourgiousJinx
Master Member
It's nice to hear George Lucas Laugh and have a little sense of humor.
Lets talk all things Star Wars
As I always say, if Jar-Jar had matured during the course of the film, he would've worked better. Say, Captain Tarsals is killed in the Naboo battle and he takes command and rises to the occasion instead of bumbling through it. We'd love the character if something like that had been done with him.
HeartBlade
Sr Member
I dont think Jar Jar taking command would have made sense but some development was necessary.
The idea that Jar Jar’s innate destruction from being clumsy paying off with him in a strike force is interesting but Jar Jar needed some development and a wider range of emotions from being silly all the time. He can clearly show sadness as seen in episode 3 in Padme’s funeral but he needed to evolve in episode 1, even a little bit.
Regarding the ewoks, I do wonder if it really was just for the money or if Lucas wanted to subvert expectations a little. A planet full of wookies would work just as well as toys and probably would have sold more toys because they were “cool.” However, the ewoks are very unassuming creatures, being small like teddy bears but they are also very cunning and use traps, stealth, and knowledge of the terrain to survive. Even then, the stormtroopers do get some wins and its not like the ewoks come out unscathed. I always saw the ewoks as a message that even the smallest and supposedly weakest creatures and make a big difference and its important to befriend and ally. If they didnt, the rebels would have lost.
I guess the gungans are also an issue with Lucas thinking too big imo. The gungans and their politics vs Naboo could have been interesting but then the story would center on Naboo when Lucas wanted to introduce new worlds. Refocusing the debate on the Galactic Senate being too slow to act and being in favor pf some species over others, causing conflict within planets like Gungans vs Nabooians(?) and resulting split with gungans joining the separatists would have tied the politics more closely to the story. As is, the politics was merely a means to get Palps into power with the conflict being greedy capitalists.
Mottrex
Sr Member
I may be mistaken but isn't Jar Jar shown steadying the warriors befor the battle saying something like "Wait for it..wait for it".
But does later undoes that shift/growth in his character by tripping up.. I guess he does still take out a few droids.
I quite liked Jar Jar and have said many times before would have loved to see a dark sith version of him.
I always had an idea in my head where he found Maul who manipulated Jar Jar..
Mottrex
Sr Member
Thats pretty much how any Dictator or despot rises to power..
The Ewoks tried to eat the main cast! They aren't innocent creatures! I remember reading some post where someone postulated that the Ewoks had eaten other women and that's why the had a dress for Leia to change into. 
I think there was also a bit in the Family Guy ROTJ special where Peter/Han asks if the Ewoks braided Leia's hair.
I think there was also a bit in the Family Guy ROTJ special where Peter/Han asks if the Ewoks braided Leia's hair.Master Boda
Sr Member
Dude that just goes to show you how cultured Ewoks really are.They can turn you into a tasty dinner or make spectacular hair styles any hairdresser would be envious of.Best of all they make music from helmets of fallen foes.The Ewoks tried to eat the main cast! They aren't innocent creatures! I remember reading some post where someone postulated that the Ewoks had eaten other women and that's why the had a dress for Leia to change into.
It was kinda the whole thematic point....
RodanAZ
Well-Known Member
The Ewok victory would have played a lot better if the Empire was pursuing the Rebels into Ewok territory, and they had a day or two to prepare. The idea that all the pitfalls, swinging logs and other traps were setup on the fly with the Ewoks rushing to the Rebels' aid at the Imperial facility was just a bridge too far.
Darth Lars
Master Member
Oh, I'd think the Ewoks had been observing the Empire for months, while setting up traps and stashing equipment at strategic locations.
It is only reasonable to be prepared, in case there would be conflict ... or if the Ewoks felt strong enough to move against the Imperial garrison themselves.
It is only reasonable to be prepared, in case there would be conflict ... or if the Ewoks felt strong enough to move against the Imperial garrison themselves.
Even a line of dialog in the ewok village about how the tribes were already mounting an attack on the Empire when 3PO is telling them stories could have worked. Then when the Rebels showed up they joined efforts. Idk. They aren't the focus of the story.
I love ewoks but I don't watch ROTJ for them. Luke is the reason to watch that movie. He's incredible.
I love ewoks but I don't watch ROTJ for them. Luke is the reason to watch that movie. He's incredible.
It doesn't make sense, but like Lucas has repeatedly said, these movies are for kids. Looney Tunes doesn't work if you think too much about it, but we still like it.
From what I've read about ROTJ, the Ewoks were a product of compromises.
There were supposed to be two indigenous species, the short Ewoks and the tall Yuzzums. But Lucas ended up scrapping the Yuzzums because of practical issues late in pre-production. (The idea had been actors walking on stilts to look taller. It proved too awkward for combat. And photographing them with the very short Ewoks was looking problematic too.) So the whole barefoot-insurgency job fell to the Ewoks.
The design of the Ewoks also ended up being cuter than intended. All attempts to make them look threatening just ended up making them look rat-like and repulsive. This was being discovered at the same time as the Yuzzum failure - too late in the game to make major changes.
I still think the execution of the Ewok idea could have been done better. But it makes sense that they kind of got painted into that corner as ROTJ progressed.
IMO the 3rd movie in a series is usually disappointing. The planets usually line up badly by that stage.
There were supposed to be two indigenous species, the short Ewoks and the tall Yuzzums. But Lucas ended up scrapping the Yuzzums because of practical issues late in pre-production. (The idea had been actors walking on stilts to look taller. It proved too awkward for combat. And photographing them with the very short Ewoks was looking problematic too.) So the whole barefoot-insurgency job fell to the Ewoks.
The design of the Ewoks also ended up being cuter than intended. All attempts to make them look threatening just ended up making them look rat-like and repulsive. This was being discovered at the same time as the Yuzzum failure - too late in the game to make major changes.
I still think the execution of the Ewok idea could have been done better. But it makes sense that they kind of got painted into that corner as ROTJ progressed.
IMO the 3rd movie in a series is usually disappointing. The planets usually line up badly by that stage.
Never heard about the hatred for 3po and yoda before, interesting if true
I do recall some critics back in the 80s commenting on 3PO but not Yoda. I think George was making things up like he's known to do. The guy's always rewriting history. It's not far fetched to think he'd make wild assumptions about how his story was perceived by people.
Yeah, I don't recall ever hearing criticism of Yoda. That was one time where they swung for cute-appeal and hit a home run. R2-D2 was another one.
Even the Ewoks were hits in terms of the character designs. The problem was how their roles were written.
Jar-Jar was the most legit failure. The production design wasn't bad, but people didn't really take to it either. The writing was a miss but IMO it wasn't a terrible idea in theory. They rolled the dice on it and lost that round.
Look at Eddie Murphy's Donkey character in 'Shrek'. He's another sidekick. The main character picks him up along the journey. He has a dash of racial/ethnic tone. He follows the main character around, talking too much & causing trouble & annoying him. Etc. Was Donkey so different from Jar-Jar on paper? He went over so much better with viewers than Jar-Jar did. Audience reactions to comedy can be very hard to predict.
Even the Ewoks were hits in terms of the character designs. The problem was how their roles were written.
Jar-Jar was the most legit failure. The production design wasn't bad, but people didn't really take to it either. The writing was a miss but IMO it wasn't a terrible idea in theory. They rolled the dice on it and lost that round.
Look at Eddie Murphy's Donkey character in 'Shrek'. He's another sidekick. The main character picks him up along the journey. He has a dash of racial/ethnic tone. He follows the main character around, talking too much & causing trouble & annoying him. Etc. Was Donkey so different from Jar-Jar on paper? He went over so much better with viewers than Jar-Jar did. Audience reactions to comedy can be very hard to predict.
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