Episode III Questions and Reflections

Contains spoilers (for those of you who haven't yet seen the movie)

Anakin's turn to the dark side happens too fast. I applaud Lucas for showing us Anakin's darker tendencies in Episode II, giving us a sense of the young Jedi's gradual shift from good to evil. Even in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin's vulnerability to anger and hate builds nicely throughout the first half of the movie. However, his ultimate decision to commit to Darth Sidious (the Emperor) is too abrupt. There is no lingering tension; while Anakin has grown frustrated with the Jedi, his switch from Jedi to Jedi-killer is instantaneous. The final scenes in Return of the Jedi suggest that Darth Vader still has good in him; where is that good when he decides, without hesitation, to slaughter the Jedi younglings just minutes after turning to the dark side?

We need to know more about Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits). As I recall, when Jimmy Smits signed on to play Bail Organa in Episodes II and III, there was much fanfare among Star Wars dorks. Not because Jimmy Smits would be in the movies, but because Bail Organa (whom everyone knew would become Leia's adoptive father) would have a seemingly prominent role. But he doesn't. Bail pops up sporadically throughout Clones and Sith; then, in the final minutes of Episode III, he becomes a main character. We know that he is not happy with the Senate's decision to grant more authority to Chancellor Palpatine. But why is Bail, who has been quite chummy with Palpatine, one of only two Senators (that we know about) to oppose making Palpatine the emperor? Knowing more about Bail Organa and his allies (if he has any) could tell us a great deal about the beginnings of the Rebellion and why his adoptive daughter, Leia, is a Princess. And, after hearing so much about Alderaan, the Organas' home planet, in the original Star Wars film, I would have liked to have spent more than 15 seconds at the end of Episode III on the world where Leia is raised.

What is the deal with Qui-Gon and the Jedi afterlife? Star Wars fans raised a collective eyebrown when, at the end of Episode I, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn died, but his body did not disappear (like the bodies of Obi-Wan and Yoda in the original triology). Nor do we hear the voice of Qui-Gon from beyond the dead, guiding his young apprentice (as Obi-Wan does for Luke in the original triology). I was hoping this great mystery would be solved in Episode III, and it is, albeit very poorly. At the end of the film, Yoda tells Obi-Wan that he has spoken with Qui-Gon (Obi-Wan's now-deceased former master), who has learned the Jeid art of communicating with the living. First of all, Qui-Gon should use his ability to speak to his former apprentice directly. Secondly, what kind of afterlife to Jedis live where they can master additional powers that affect the living? Thirdly, we never really know why Qui-Gon was such a key character in Episode I, especially since he is never mentioned in the original triology. He is mentioned in passing in Episode II, when we learn that he had been Count Dooku's apprentice. But the fact that Qui-Gon's former master became a Sith Lord ends up being nothing more than Star Wars trivia. It is of no consequence to the larger narrative.

When I have time, I'll discuss my questions and concerns about Anakin's conception. More later.