u/CJAreYouDeadass

Just Finished Goblet of Fire (Absolute Cinema btw), and noticed something....I've been discussing with a friend who is a lifelong fan and he wanted me to end up ranking them which i'm doing as I go along.

I've found it interesting up to the halfway point now i've enjoyed each one more than the last, which I think is strange considering with other series like Star Wars for example I don't feel as though the next one is always better than the last.

Is this a unique experience? Or would you guys say this is on par (so far) with how you guys have graded the films up to this point. I'm thinking my vision could be skewed due to it being my first watch-through, but the other part of me genuinely feels like each one has been better than the last so far

That said-I'm loving it so far and am almost sad i'm almost done

I expect to see alot of Kyle Katarns & Mara Jades, so i'm gonna unapologetically choose the Legends ARC Troopers.

The Republic Commando Novels by Karen Traviss had the best interpretation of the GAR imo. (For a visual representation, see Captain Fordo from the 2003 CW microseries).

Without spoiling everything-ARC Troopers in Legends were broken down into 2 groups: Null & Alpha Class. The Null Classes were the first clones of Jango before the template was perfected, without repressing the independent traits Fett had. They were the Apex of Clone Soliders-so elite that even the Kaminoans wanted them destroyed. The Alpha class ARC's were made from the stabilized template, and hand trained by Jango himself. The difference being they were integrated into the army command structure unlike their Null counterparts who were nearly impossible to control.

Comparing this to their canonical versions where troopers are given the ARC rank as a promotion waters them down significantly...as we see outside of named ARC's like Jesse & Fives they're mostly disposable and don't stand out as being elite super soldiers. Even Clone Commandos in canon are a far cry from what they originally were created as.

Edit: Wanted to add an Honorable Mention: Admiral Natasi Daala (Legends leader of the Imperial Remnant) One of my all time favorite characters.

Let me see your picks!

First off, where have you been all my life? Oddly it felt like a new experience. Some takeaways I had based on the edits:

-I grew up watching the 97/04 special editions. Seeing Han shoot first without the weird head jerk or god awful "mcclunky" was so refreshing. The added scene with Jabba is also very unnecessary, as it definitely disrupts the pacing and its redundant. It also makes his reveal in RoTJ better imo.

-Originally I thought Mos Eisley being more lively was for the better, but without all the extra shit floating around its just easier on the eyes-and gives the feel of it being a true backwater

-Obi Wan's Tusken scare call was completely fine the first time, the 04 version (weird bird call) is cemented in my brain but I now prefer the original.

-All the added dialogue was pointless. "Close the blast doors" while they're chasing Han & when hiding under the floor boards i was surprised to learn that the stormtroopers searching the falcon saying "THERES NO ONE HERE" before leaving was an add-on as well.

-The scene I actually missed was Luke and Biggs catching up before the Death Star battle...as if you are a first time watcher you probably wouldn't even realize they were friends prior, but the one scene doesn't really add much of an emotional connection to biggs before he bites it anyway...Still a good scene but fine without

-The battle itself I thought would suffer without the updated Starfighter assault, but the original is both impressive for the time and still just as fun to watch.

Maybe it was a placebo knowing I was watching the original, but I genuinely feel this version after finally seeing it is way better. The pacing was perfect and it holds up remarkably well despite being clearly the most unrefined of all Lucas's films. I highly recommend everyone gives this a watch either on your own or when it's released in theaters...Simplicity can be so beautiful

Edit: I didn't even realize what today was, I guess it was the Will of The Force....happy 49th anniversary!