just watched the original star wars trilogy for the first time at twenty three, thoughts down below. note: most of my star wars knowledge previously was from cultural osmosis and a fair bit of the clone wars show as a kid.
a New hope: i liked it was a little slow but i think that pace fit the story, loved how Leia was handled, sheās honestly better written then some modern female characters, really deserving of her icon status.
I did not expect it to lean so much to lukeleia, i knew the kissed before their relation reveal and that hanleia was end game via cultural osmosis but if i didnāt know that i really wouldāve expected them to be end game and was a little fond of it despite myself.
the empire strikes back: very good again a little slow but it was fitting, i liked that the group were separated for most of the film, it allowed us to explore more of the world and prevents the risk of receptiveness, loved Lando Calrissian, i had never been exposed to him by the cultural zeitgeist so he was a nice surprise!, the hard switch to hanleia was a bit abrupt even though i knew they were the goal. loved Luke calling out to Leia through the force and her hearing him!.
I really did not expect the father reveal to be in the second one! despite having heard about it all my life i had always assumed it happened in the final film but it being in the second was the much better option it gives both the characters and audience time to ruminate on it.
Return of the jedi: obviously good again still a little slow, the starting with Hanās rescue was good a little action early on, i really liked the slow infiltration of Hutts place, general Lando!!! wooo! great way to integrate and expand his character!, liked the talk with Obi-wanās force ghost, Leia immediately befriending the ewoks like the princess she is also really enjoyed the battle scene with the little ewoks beating the shit out of the stormtroopers.
the battle between Luke and Vader was very good, i really liked how resistant Luke was to fight until Vader taunts him with the idea of going after Leia and thatās what causes Luke to snap, loved how what pulls him back from his anger is seeing that he cut off Vaderās hand. the look between his robo-prosthetic hand, the one he has because his father cut it off and Vaderās before he drops his lightsaber to go down that path as absolutely beautiful! loved it!.
my favorite scene though was Luke and Leiaās talk on endor, Luke asking Leia about their mother, telling her about Vader being their father and how their siblings, him telling her she has the force with her and that heās going to face Vader alone, that he can sense him, Leia telling him not too, to run away and how she wishes she could go with him and Lukeās āNo you donāt, youāve always been strong.ā itās so beautiful! so lovely!!! ugh!!!
and then when Leia knows Lukeās alive after the second death stars destruction is because she can sense him with the force! itās so good!.
general thoughts: Leia, Luke, Lando and R2-D2 are my favorites!
i really didnāt expect to like Luke as much as i did! heās a great character, heās so sweet but also confident and gets the job done! not too goody two shoes and rather interesting! paragons of good from humble backgrounds are really common and easily swing a bit boring but Luke wasnāt!. was also surprised and how much combat Leia is in considering the time period the movies are from, i knew she used a blaster but i didnāt expect her to be just as involved in the action as Han or the other male characters and to be so well rounded outside of that too!. Lando was so good! as i said i had no clue about his existence prior so his story was unspoiled for me! i loved how we meet him as a turned straight friend of Han, how he betrayās Han for the sake of cloud city but refuses to hand over Chewi and Leia, backing out of the deal with Vader when itās changed and getting them out of there but not before telling his people to evacuate!.
i understand the hype around Chewbacca now, before i was always a little confused on why a furry side character was so popular but heās cool despite lacking a bit of characterization in comparison to other characters, as he doesnāt speak english and is a rather minor character but iād buy a plush of him!.
iāll be watching the prequels for the first time next, then re-watching the clone wars and then iāll maybe start with the newer stuff like the sequels or rebels⦠probably Ashokaās live action show first as i loved her as a kid.
will probably read some of the novels and comics in time too, like Ashokaās and some others.