The Empire Strikes Back

[naaman fletcher]

So my son, 5, is leaving his Thomas phase and entering a Star Wars phase. So we watched the Empire Strikes Back last night. It is the first time that I saw it in 15-20 years.

1. How can anybody think this is a good movie? because:
2. How is it that the rebels can afford a whole new class of fighters for every single world they fight on?
3. Why would they create a fighter ship with a back seat, the sole purpose of this guy in the back seat is to fire a grappling hook?
4. How could they possibly have anticipated needing a grappling hook to take down Imperial Walkers? If they did anticipate it, why did they not use the grappling hooks right away?
5. The Imperial Walkers only have guns facing the front. Why do Luke and the other pilots continually attack the walkers from the front, instead of from the sides and rear?
6. How does Luke's TIE fighter get from the base on Hoth to the open space outside of the base where Luke picks it up?
7. Wasn't Han kind of stupid to have shot the Imperial droid? If he left it alone, it might have taken a few days for it to find the base, giving the rebels more time to evacuate.
8. When Luke goes to the Dagobah system, what are the chances that he crashes into the correct planet in the system, and furthermore crashes within 100 yards or so of Yoda's house.
9. I then fell asleep, but from my recollection, why would you put a guy who sells Malt Liquor in charge of your city?

God what a dumb movie.

[uppityperson]

1. Answer: because it's fiction. And I agree, lots dumb there.

[Gman]

2. Wookieepedia is our friend

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Wookieepedia:Welcome,_newcomers

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_V:_The_Empire_Strikes_Back

[One of Many]

3. You're doing it wrong ...

2. How is it that the rebels can afford a whole new class of fighters for every single world they fight on?

- They have lots of friends in high places ...

3. Why would they create a fighter ship with a back seat, the sole purpose of this guy in the back seat is to fire a grappling hook?

- That is the gunner's seat, there is a gun as well as the harpoon - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/T-47_airspeeder

4. How could they possibly have anticipated needing a grappling hook to take down Imperial Walkers? If they did anticipate it, why did they not use the grappling hooks right away?

- "Its cockpit featured positions for a forward-facing pilot and a rear-facing cargo manager. The cargo manager used the airspeeder's magnetic harpoon and tow cable to control repulsorlift cargo modules" - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/T-47_airspeeder

5. The Imperial Walkers only have guns facing the front. Why do Luke and the other pilots continually attack the walkers from the front, instead of from the sides and rear?

- I assume they do though you likely don't see it in the movie?

6. How does Luke's TIE fighter get from the base on Hoth to the open space outside of the base where Luke picks it up?

- It's an X-Wing and any one of the workers on Echo base could have moved it there for him.

7. Wasn't Han kind of stupid to have shot the Imperial droid? If he left it alone, it might have taken a few days for it to find the base, giving the rebels more time to evacuate.

- Han has been know to shoot first (Greedo, Death Star cell block, etc)

8. When Luke goes to the Dagobah system, what are the chances that he crashes into the correct planet in the system, and furthermore crashes within 100 yards or so of Yoda's house.

- I'm guessing the technology would be available to get him there, failing that "Use the Force Luke."

9. I then fell asleep, but from my recollection, why would you put a guy who sells Malt Liquor in charge of your city?

- Lando essentially "won" the city gambling - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lando

God what a dumb movie.

- Re: Watching Star Wars movies, you're doing it wrong. They are fiction, fun and made for young kids. Lighten up Francis! :)

I bet your son loved it, I know my 6 year old daughter can recite most of the dialogue from memory at this point.

[Deep13]

4. Here's what I wonder.

Presumably, it takes a long time to train to be a Jedi. Seemed like he was there for months. So how long did it take Han and Leia to get to Cloud City? Once there, it was only a short time before they ran into Vader and that other stuff happened. Unless they were creeping along in space for months--and maybe they were, though the story did not establish that--there is not enough time in the Han/Leia story line for it to join the Luke story line on cloud city.

[Flipper999]

19. They could have been traveling for months

Their hyperdrive (the techology allowing faster-than-light speed travel) was busted, and they were traveling through interstellar space to get to another star system. Honestly, it's a little more surprising to me that the trip didn't take years instead.

Sorry. Used to be a huge Star Wars fan... :P

[MineralMan]

5. Suspension of Disbelief

is a primer requirement for all such fantasy films. Once you learn to do that, you'll enjoy them much more. Looking for flaws spoils the fun.

[naaman fletcher]

9. It's more than that..

I can suspend disbelief. I can watch Star Trek and assume that they have invented Heisenberg Compensators. However, that does not explain why all of the Rebel spaceships get shot down attacking Imperial Walkers from the front long after it is obvious that the walkers only have weapons in the front.

[glowing]

6. Personally, I loved the spoof on the movie.. Space Balls.. sooo funny.

[naaman fletcher]

8. Probably the only good Mel Brooks movie. nt.

[Onceuponalife]

20. Are you serious?

You've never seen:

Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
The Producers
High Anxiety
History of the World Part I???

Spaceballs is good but hardly his best.

[Bert]

24. I'll take it a step farther

Spaceballs was not only one of his worst next to robin hood men in tights, but it was also late, coming out what 20 years after star wars?

[crim son]

7. The entire series except, maybe the first one made,

is too stupid to be believed. My sons have tried to get me to sit through a couple of them and I couldn't do it.

[slampoet]

10. Wow, you didn't even Watch the movie very carefully did you?

Since you are obviously not interested in educating yourself to the answers or you have internet without Google, let me explain.

1. This isn't even a point

2. The rebels don't buy new ships every movie they just keep adding more and mostly these are ships that are adapted from other uses. You still see x-wings and y-wings from Star Wars in the movie Jedi.

3. the fighters the rebels used on hoth have a rear gunner who fires a laser AND the grappling hook system.

4. and 5 are explained in the movie dialog about having trouble adapting both the ATAT and the Speeders to hoth's weather and the new armor on the ATAT walkers. The armor was too thick for lasers so therefore the speeders started using grappling line. Luke says this during the battle and tells all the other pilots.

6. Luke doesn't fly a tie fighter. The scene where he flies his X-wing craft into space from Hoth is in the movie.

7. the Imperial droid was already broadcasting and that scene is also in the movie. That is why Han went out to find it in the first place. He also didn't shoot it to kill. Han shot the droid to wound and then it self-destructed.

8. Luke doesn't crash near Yoda's house, he crashes, unloads his gear and is then discovered by a Yoda (who heard the crash) and is then guided to Yoda's Home BY YODA HIMSELF.

9. Sounds like you didn't even listen to the dialog and were asleep at the wheel throughout this movie. I doesn't sound like a bad movie per se. It sounds like you were talking on the phone or trying to read a book and didn't pay attention to the movie. The reason this movie was liked was that people WATCHED IT in the theater without distraction.


BTW - I haven't seen Empire in 15 years either but i could easily answer these questions w/o looking it up.

[naaman fletcher]

14. hold on..

As to #'s 4 and 5, that does not explain why Luke insists on attacking them, with either lasers or grappling hooks, from the front. Also, once one of the Walkers is down, one of the fighters does in fact blow it up by shooting at its top armor.. so, that being a weak-point, the ships should have dived and shot down at the top armour. Either way though, the point remains that anyone who would attack a walker from the front is a moron.

6. Yes, a simple mistake I made.

7. Sure it was broadcasting. It was broadcasting "hey there is lots of snow and cold here". When Darth decides to go to Hoth it is because the walker STOPPED broadcasting.. because Han blew it up like a dumbass.

8. Of course he crash's near Yoda's house. He crashes, Yoda finds him, and they go a very short distance to Yoda's house.

[Cheap_Trick]

15. The probe droid had already sent back images of the Rebel's power generators.

That's when Vader knew they were on Hoth.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

11. Friendly Fire

Luke's rear gunner was killed by friendly fire. Watch the scene again.

[BootinUp]

12. The force is not strong with this one...lol

[d_r]

13. my 6 year-old boy is in the same spot.

star wars crazy.

I don't think they got the snow speeders just for that battle, it is the first time we saw the rebels in a land battle. the walkers can turn their heads. Besides back then ataari was pretty 2 dimensional, so you pretty much had to go front on, left to right.

It made sense to destroy that recon droid before it sent back more pictures of rebel base.


landing on degobah = force is strong in this one

[walldude]

16. Wow.. shitting on Star Wars and Mel Brooks all in one thread

Don't like em'? Don't watch em'.

[Touchdown]

17. And this one is considered to be the best of the bunch!

:rofl:

Nah! I'd say you're not a fan!

[Bert]

25. sorry, wrong replyh

[Bert]

26. delete please

[YOY]

18. It's a space opera. Check out "The Ring of Nibelung".

You'll find the same kind of leaps of belief.

You're not supposed to overly think it out. Notice that there are noises in space. First cue that reality isn't always fun.

[klm55500]

21. What a nitpicker.

[RandomThoughts]

22. I can answer one of those questions.

When Luke goes to the Dagobah system, what are the chances that he crashes into the correct planet in the system, and furthermore crashes within 100 yards or so of Yoda's house.


The Force Was With Him.

[blizzil31337]

23. one of the best sequels ever

[Bert]

27. Name a space cowboys movie you like

Unbelievable. If you dont this one I certainly dont see how you can like any others in the series as this is definitely the best one with star wars a close second and return of the jedi a distant third. I certainly hope you dont prefer the 3 prequel movies. If you want harder sci fi watch 2001, blade runner, alien or older sci fi like the day the earth stood still, them, the thing-both versions, things to come, metropolis(definitely worth seeing if you like sci fi), close encounters of the third kind. It is a space cowboys movie not to be taken too seriously, for instance asteroids dont tend to be in a field that close and we all know there is no sound in space but it is still one of the best popcorn movies of all time.

As for space balls I am left speechless as it was not a good parody and probably one of brooks worst movies, with men in tights probably being the worst I have ever seen.

I will refute you points one by one
1.I think it is a good movie
2. These are smaller cheaper ground vehicles that dont go into space
3. It's a movie, he also had a blaster in the back if I am not mistaken, it is also an attempt to copy f14's and other fighters with back seats. also it's a movie and a space opera at that
4. You make the same complaint three times, get over it
5.Because there are lines of walkers, so unless they attack the last line they will be getting fired on from the back, also it is a movie that is noted for it's visuals, not it's logic
6. In guerilla warfare you tend to spread your resources so they wont get wiped out in one hit
7. No. It already had sent a picture, and only darth vaders jedi powers let him know that this one picture was definitely the rebel base, probably knew luke was on an ice world.
8. Because he is using the force to navigate, also known as fate
9. This was before he billie dee made those commercials, but again who cares? if you want to crucify everyone who has made a buck advertising alcohol you will have a long list

Again, if you dont like the genre dont watch the freaking movies in the genre.

[khawkings09]

28. to each his/her own. loved it myself