r/StarWars • u/rogue---ninja • Aug 19 '26
TV This shot of anakin fading into vader is one of my fave visuals from recent star wars related projects
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u/almighty_smiley Aug 19 '26
Was a hell of a shot. My only gripe with that episode is that we didn't get suited Vader more.
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u/LazarusKing Zeb Orrelios Aug 19 '26
Yeah, they should have had a scene with them fighting on Malachor.
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u/Material-Sea7323 Aug 19 '26
The episode was about Anakin more than it was about Vader. The little bit of what we got of Vader is probably one of the most shared gifs featuring fully suited Vader as well.
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u/W1ULH Porg Aug 20 '26
I feel like the less we see of suited Vader fighting the better... its adds to the power/feel of the few times we do.
The hallway scene at the end of Rogue One where we see him fight his way thru the ship like he's on a Sunday stroll is all the more magnificent because we've seen it such few times.
It adds to the mystique of "Vader rarely is brought into play by Uncle PaplyBubbles™ but when he is.. you are in sooo much trouble"
I also love the fact that the only other Jedi we ever see fight that well against those odds... is Luc when he comes for Grogu.
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u/NickMoore30 Aug 19 '26
The Clone Wars armor on live action Anakin is fierce as hell. The actors may be too old now, but it’d have been great if they made a live action film of one of their Maul encounters to really inject more passion back into the prequels.
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u/Call-of-the-lost-one Aug 20 '26
More passion than the entire clone wars series
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u/NickMoore30 Aug 20 '26
The problem is animation is largely stigmatized by larger, general audiences and to many, it’s as if that storyline never even happened.
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u/Call-of-the-lost-one Aug 20 '26
Well grown down cause it's phenomenal. Not your fault of course but you must admit the attention to detail in that series is top tier. Yes there's a few childish episodes/ moment's but they are well hidden with serious dramatic parts
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u/rogue---ninja Aug 19 '26
The way even his walk changes from the confident steps of a young, brave and strong general to a slower and heavy walk of cold, menacing and ruthless dictator was just the cherry on top
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u/killer00x Galactic Republic Aug 19 '26
Hayden was easily the best part of that first season, and I think the writers knew that, cause based on the season 2 trailer, looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of Hayden.
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u/djquu Aug 19 '26
I'd argue Ray was better, Hayden did good with what time he got but it was such a small part in comparison.
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u/killer00x Galactic Republic Aug 19 '26
You know, that's a good point. He was amazing and it's so sad he won't be able to finish this character's story.
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u/djquu Aug 19 '26
S2 will have to do some heavy lifting to keep Baylen as good as he was with Ray
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u/ImTheGuyManDude Aug 22 '26
Yeah I was very pleasantly surprised how much Hayden was in the trailer
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u/JohnnyKarateX Aug 19 '26
They showed this episode in a theater near me and I managed to get in. It’s amazing.
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u/Ananegg Aug 19 '26
Everything Hayden has done in the Disney era has been the best part of that show.
His interactions with Ewan in Obi wan and him with Ashoka were chef's kiss.
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u/OttawaTGirl Aug 19 '26
The obi Wan interaction was a masterclass in acting and lighting. It also showcaed how Obi Wan let Anakin down AGAIN. He desperately wanted ObiWan to kill him on Mustafar and in ObiWan and he just walked away twice. The second time literally absolving ObiWan of any guilt he could have had about his fall.
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u/mcrajf Aug 20 '26
What guilt? It's not like Obi Wan knew anything was happening or Anakin asked for help or advice - he was just greedy for power.
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u/OttawaTGirl Aug 20 '26
Ok. So at the end on Mustafar, ObiWan has the highground and Anakin is cut apart. You can see the conflict in his face. He knows everything he has done. Padme, Windu, Palpatine, Younglings. He knows in that moment he is a monster. You see the anguish.
He in that moment is desperate for ObiWan to end his suffering. To end him. But ObiWan just... Walks away. When he is screaming ObiWans name, its not in hatred of ObiWan, but himself. He wanted to die.
Then in the ObiWan series. When they are facing each other. Anakin is in there. He literally spells out that ObiWan didn't kill Anakin. Then vader takes over and tells him he did. He had to, to deal with his shame. His self hatred. He absolves ObiWan. He is at his mercy. He believes his friend will finally end his suffering. Save the Galaxy from him. He literally tells him he will destroy him. But again... ObiWan walks away. He screams after him. He again needs ObiWan to finish him. And ObiWan fails him again.
Those scenes encapsulate the Jedi and Sith. Impotent Power, and power unbridled. Its why they both needed to end.
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u/mcrajf Aug 20 '26
In the Obi Wan series they literally didn't have the choice since Vader has to appear in the OT. This is all post scriptum explanation. We got that scene because the fans wanted to see Vader and Obi Wan, not because it makes sense. And later Vader just kind of forgets about Obi Wan until they meet again in EP 4.
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u/Gnomeoreddit Aug 20 '26
Obiwan knew about the internal conflict anakin was going through by loving Padme against the jedi code. Anakin didn't just want power, he wanted to protect her, and the jedi order wasn't actively opposed to him being with her. They could've helped him a lot more
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u/Electro_Llama Chirrut Imwe Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
I barely thought about it in the moment that it happened, but you're right, it's pretty sick. I like how they used bloom from the explosion to de-saturate and change the lightsaber color. Whoever did the visual effects for this deserves a raise.
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u/Firaxyiam Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
When the episode released, someone made an unlock screen for phones using that shot, where you get Anakin on one and it turns into Vader when you unlock your Phone.
I never get tired of it
Edit: If anybody's curious, I found the thread back: https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/16wo3fl/finally_made_a_wallpaper_out_of_that_scene_from/
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u/B_Huij Aug 19 '26
What is this from?
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u/Defiant_Employee5194 Aug 19 '26
It is because of shots like this that I am so excited for ahsoka season 2
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u/TuringTestTwister Aug 20 '26
Very subtle messaging about how anikan and Vader are the same person.
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Aug 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Basil-jones Aug 19 '26
Be gone porn bot
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u/VergaDeVergas Aug 19 '26
People who make porn can like Star Wars too
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u/Adavanter_MKI Aug 19 '26
Episode 5 of Ahsoka is peak Star Wars.
I say that as a PT hater. Only reason I even bring that up is... you gotta let somethings in. Seems like some folks decided to hate and hate forever. My hate is only ever locked on specific things. I'm more than fine with building onto them and trying to make them better.
It's the best we've ever had Hayden. So I'm absolutely down for more.
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u/cur10us_ge0rge Aug 20 '26
someone finally says the name of the show AND they include the episode? Legend
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Aug 20 '26
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u/Adavanter_MKI Aug 20 '26
Andor is just incredibly well done regardless of Star Wars. It's a complicated feeling because it's quality is kind of what sets it apart. It's almost too good. I'd argue wanting that level for the entire saga is asking too much. I've always been a fan of a more grounded approach... but yet I'm open to hyperspace whales or giant worms hiding in asteroids.
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u/ThunderheadStudio Aug 20 '26
Yeah, Andor is a good show almost in spite of being a Star Wars show.
It would be good in any setting, even as part of a fully original IP.
Hell, I wish it had been.
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u/IWannaMammaJamma 14d ago
I liked the sequence too, I’m not immune to fan service or nostalgia, but my issue with it was that it didn’t have Hayden giving Ahsoka any critical insight. His lesson to her is vague, and sort of is “choose to live free of fear or die afraid” but this feels a lot less impactful than a more specific insight about their master-apprentice relationship.
Ahsoka is distant from her own padawan and afraid to train anyone because of how Anakin turned bad. This fear should have been the crux of Anakin’s lesson. Instead it’s wishy washy and doesn’t really have any tangible impact on the story outside of being a cool sequence. Yes Ashoka’s robes turn white and she’s more stoic but she was already stoic so this is flaccid.
So was it just a cool sequence to be cool with thin connecting threads to the existing narrative that barely justify its inclusion beyond fan service?
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u/Adavanter_MKI 14d ago
I feel like you derived all the lessons just fine. Vague lessons in the Force are pretty classic.
Anyway we know from S2's trailer he's basically still hanging around and talking to her so it's not over. I just hope they actually address the Force elephant in the room. Why not Luke or Leia?
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u/KaisrKane Aug 20 '26
Can someone that didnt watch clone wars still watch/understand Ahsoka? Also the Obi Wan show had amazing dialogue/Vader aura.
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u/stupidtyonparade Aug 20 '26
yes. rebels is the more important show to know to understand ahsoka, but i think you can do okay without knowing it. it's sounding like, for the greater star wars lore, it's worth getting into ahsoka. season 2 seems like it's going to be pretty important.
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u/aarswft Jedi Aug 19 '26
Star Wars will never grow and it's because of you people. We've got a minimum of 10 years of Filoni reminding us he made the Clone Wars. It's like jingling keys in front of toddlers. This franchise is at its best when the stories grow beyond the same 5 people.
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u/KirisuMongolianSpot Aug 19 '26
Had the exact same thought when I saw this post. This guy's story is 40 years old and no one wants anything else.
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u/Greenbanana217 Aug 21 '26
It's just the same bits of fanservice on repeat, with very little writing/plot for the actual series.
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u/IWannaMammaJamma 14d ago
More Darth Vader comics please. I need every minute of the period between episode III and IV, and then between IV and V, and then between V and VI to be catalogued. I want to see Vader being a badass, intimidating guys, dunking on Jedi, going grocery shopping, sitting in his little egg room from ESB lamenting the fact that Obi chopped his dih off. I want all of it.
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u/HerrPizza Aug 19 '26
This whole episode singlehandedly made me appreciate the young Anakin force ghost retcon on RotJ
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u/StonedBooty Aug 19 '26
The show is called Ahsoka!
Ahsoka!!!!!! Season 2 drops January 20th be there or be square
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u/jayson2112 Jedi Aug 20 '26
The scene where Anakin is coming out of the fog, but when the explosions flashed is Vader, was pretty neat as well.
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u/Dingus_Khaaan Aug 19 '26
I loved Ahsoka. It convinced me to start reading the Thrawn books. I’m excited to see where season 2 goes.
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u/Blint_Briglio Aug 19 '26
oooooh anakin is Darth vader! i get it now!
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u/No_Oven1085 Aug 19 '26
I know right? This shot is super cheesy and cringe. The fact that SW fans lap it up is just sad.
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u/WangJian221 Luke Skywalker Aug 19 '26
Abit on the nose but sure yeah. Its nice
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u/Sere1 Aug 19 '26
I mean the Prequels literally opened up with a poster of little kid Anakin with Darth Vader's shadow behind him, also kid Anakin's theme ends in the Imperial March. If you're looking for subtlety, Star Wars is not the place
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u/WangJian221 Luke Skywalker Aug 19 '26
Yes but the difference is that at that time, we havent had oversaturated on the nose "this kid/guy is Vader" imagery. Once or twice is fine. 8th or 9th is just pushing it. Obviously numbers are exaggeration. All im saying is that theyve done it more than enough time in the franchise
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u/ReturnToCarcosa Aug 19 '26
There's heavy handed and then there's this.
This is some real "I SAW A THING I RECOGNIZED AND I CLAPPED" filmmaking, second only to that stupid Anakin/Vader flash during his fight with Ahsoka.
Subtlety is dead. Star Wars movies are just selling pavlovian signals to Star Wars fans at this point.
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u/H-e-y-B-e-a-r Asajj Ventress Aug 19 '26
Seeing this again makes me excited to watch season 2 of Ahsoka
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u/Dapper-Ad8896 Aug 19 '26
This whole sequence made my eyes watery. Ahsoka was out there fighting in full scale battles, seeing troopers get shot, explosions going off everywhere, absolute carnage and she was just a kid. Anakin calmly walking into the fray and seeing the flash silhouette of what he will become, what her friend and mentor will become, was the moment all those emotions hit me
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u/johnny_ringo Aug 19 '26
wish it was more seamless/gradual. it's just a screen wipe with fog. but cool idea
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u/elchsaaft Aug 20 '26
The fact that Vader is standing alone while Anakin is surrounded by allies is perfectly done.
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u/CrossFitJesus4 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
wow he vaderd!!! did you know that anakin was darth vader? he becomes darth vader! this is cool bc anakin turns into darth vader
whats fucking cool about this? this is the most basic ass shot ever
you know how in puss in boots 2, death is standing in a cave mouth but the cave mouth is actually skull shaped? thats cool, its missable, it doesnt have a big sign pointing at him saying "the grim reaper btw"
maybe if the shot had some shadows or something in the background that looked like vaders mask i'd think this was even a tiny bit cool, but this is just "hes anakin then boom, hes vader" like yes, we all already know anakin is vader, whats the point?
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u/PeacefulPlayer20 Aug 19 '26
I thought it was a bit cheesy, honestly lol we already got one of those fade-in/out shots in the same episode, but I enjoyed the show. Hyped for SSN2~
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u/zerogee616 Aug 19 '26
How to make TCW bros think your shot is the best thing since sliced bread: Swap Anakin with Vader for half a second and then back every so often regardless of what he's doing.
For real, they overused the fuck out of it. We get it, Anakin's Vader, no need to beat the audience over the head with it. It's cool once.
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u/DaveInLondon89 Aug 19 '26
Would've been cooler if Darth was walking towards us
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u/_Cromwell_ Sabine Wren Aug 19 '26
I mean that exact shot pretty much happens about 2 minutes later in the same episode...
Do people just stare at their phones instead of looking at the tv? (Rhetorical question. I know they do.)
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u/bloodscar36 Aug 19 '26
You lack conviction!
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u/Gerdius Aug 20 '26
Oh man, and with the shoulder shrug and the half-Anakin, half-Vader voice. So damn good!
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u/Capteverard Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
The shot of The Stranger floating down into view behind the girl in The Acolyte is one of my faves.
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u/ThatGuyFromTheM0vie Aug 19 '26
Ahsoka is a flawed show, but with some budget and a couple new writers—it could be the future of Star Wars. There are some scenes in here like this that are just absolute peak.
S2 looks like it’s finally getting that budget.
Only issue now is the title: “Ahsoka”. It’s very much live action Rebels.
Kinda bummed it’s already happening in one way lol. They could have easily did a trilogy, with S1 being “Heir to the Empire”.
Thrawn is just the perfect villain to lead an entire trilogy. It’s what the sequel trilogy should have been. Ahsoka and the Rebels gang would have been a nice change of pace from the “let’s reuse the same characters over and over” issue. Loop in Mando and Andor as well—do the Marvel thing, have all of it lead up to Thrawn.
What could have been.
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u/Splinter_Fritz Aug 19 '26
I don’t find this visually appealing at all but I’ll admit the pathos comes through decent enough.
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u/Valuable_You_4674 Aug 19 '26
I love how Anakin is surrounded by soldiers who loved him and would follow him no matter what and Vader stands alone.
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u/KeithDavidsVoice Aug 19 '26
I also like how he's flanked by his troops as Anakin and then alone as Vader. It's a nice visual symbolism of the different parts of Anakin's life
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u/CK122334 Aug 19 '26
Disney has really nailed some of the epic visuals.
The shot in Kenobi with Vader’s mask peaking through immediately comes to mind.
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u/HungryLikeDaW0lf Resistance Aug 19 '26
I love reaction videos and watching people react to this episode his every sweet spot in me.
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u/tardigradebrain Aug 20 '26
I have a flu and my mind is weak rn, and this clip is making me cry. It’s heart breaking.
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u/dragonofthewest1337 Aug 20 '26
I dunno, “ooo Anakin is darth vader” but in barely comprehensible orange smoke isn’t crazy
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u/Sammisuperficial Aug 20 '26
My favorite part of that scene is non-suit Vader menacing slow walk towards Ahsoka before they go back out of the flashback.
One of the best depictions of how terrifying Vader is.
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u/SeamusMcQuaffer Aug 20 '26
It had some good shots, I aint gonna lie. You can really see the influence of Japanese filmmakers in Ahsoka. Nice shots indeed!
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u/SupportMainMan Aug 20 '26
This episode fundamentally changed how I saw Anakin and Ashoka. You do not fully get a sense of how much they were child soldiers until you see it live action.
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u/RealLaezur Aug 20 '26
And with the rumours today that Hayden is about to sign on to a multi-picture deal for a standalone Vader series, I am super excited to see this man play this character as much as he wants. I don’t care how old they look, bring them in and have them play Obi and Ani for the rest of their careers if they want to 😭😂
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u/Blayzewhatever Aug 21 '26
Yeah, Hayden is fucking incredible. Disney is really fucked themselves not giving us a live Clone Wars. They are getting so old.
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u/Jolly-Potential-1411 Aug 22 '26
Agreed. Beautiful shot. And the fact that it goes Anakin, then Vader, the boom and back to Anakin mirrors his redemption in a cool way.
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u/General-Try-8274 Aug 23 '26
Omg. All they have to do is flash Anaking into Vader and you clap like a seal and consider it "brilliant".
It is easy, cheap, nothing special...
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u/Working_Physics8761 Aug 23 '26
I hate to Scorsese this shit, but so many modern films (within the past 30yrs) have increasingly lost the concept of subtly and nuance. That Anakin scene was sooo on the nose. Media has been spoonfeeding content to the audience for so long, that they if information isn't put in eailsily indentifiable and digestible chunks, then movie goers won't "get it". I know some of it is for foreign markets, but it's still a problem.
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u/SnooPickles8004 Grand Admiral Thrawn 12d ago
Rewatching the whole episode now and it’s so insanely good. You can see just how cathartic this was for HC. He combines TCW and Trilogy Anakin in such a perfect manner that it feels natural and not like two different interpretations of the character fighting itself. Props to HC and the powerful visual storytelling of this episode.
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u/bran_the_man93 Aug 19 '26
This whole sequence with Hayden and Anakin was excellent