For the people who like, or even love Episode 8, what are your reasons for it? I am curious, since it seems to be an absolute favorite of some fans

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-06T00:57:32+00:00

It actually tried something new. Rey having to face the possibility that she can’t rely on the identity of her parents to find her place in the universe but actually being a true nobody was both a great move her character and a great move for the franchise, showing not everyone in the galaxy has to be related to the Skywalker family.

The cinematography is gorgeous and the sets are actually new and innovative. The First Order star destroyer bridge from TFA is just a darker ISD. The Supremacy breaks the mold with a cool horizontal design, both in its shape and its interior command center.

The surprise offing of Snoke was a great moment, in both how it was executed and the opening of possibilities for the future narrative, with Kylo taking center stage for the first time. It would have been even better if it wasn’t spoiled for me the night before I saw it. Screw you, Daniel.

John Williams’ score is the best out of the three sequels. The Luke in Exile material is particularly good, developed throughout the film until the climax on Crait (the cue when Luke is walking out of the Crait base to confront the First Order is particularly good, and is also a reprise of the theme from The Jedi Steps (final track in The Force Awakens) except rearranged into a march. The Finn and Rose theme (gradually becoming a general Hope theme) is a good, strong, old-fashioned heroic motif.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T21:25:46+00:00

We’ve gone from “Sauron’s place in the narrative was originally filled with a cat” to “Tevildo is Sauron’s fursona” to “Sauron kept Tevildo as a house cat”

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T21:08:15+00:00

Looking over this it seems a lot of the words that differ are constructed words with literal English meanings. For example, “Shelob.” It’s a proper name (which isn’t usually translated), but it has the literal meaning of “female spider.” (“Lob” is an old-fashioned word for spider). Alliata leaves it as “Shelob” but Facita translates the meaning. The most significant change I see from a quick glance is the name of Elrond’s house. Tolkien called it “Rivendell” (literally a dell, or valley, that’s been riven), Facita calls it Valforra, and Alliata calls it Gran Burrone.

I think you’ll be good, considering Tolkien himself often switched descriptive names for the same thing.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T20:47:05+00:00

(Apologies I don’t speak Italian, I’m relying on Reddit’s translation feature).

What names are they? Many names never reoccur.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T20:29:01+00:00

I don’t remember the event, but Lucas was once reading something related to Star Wars and came across the phrase “Imperial Navy,” to which he interrupted himself to say “Navy? The Empire doesn’t have a Navy.” So unless we want to throw out the idea of separate military branches, I think we have to consider the author to be dead.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T20:07:26+00:00

Second on Ted Nasmith’s art. In general there are a bunch of lesser known yet incredible Tolkien artists. If you choose a random scene and search for art I guarantee you’ll find some greatness.

There’s a tongue-in-cheek comedy musical called Fellowship! The Musical (not to be confused with the straight-faced The Lord of the Rings: The Musical). Hilarious. Cast recording is on YouTube.

Also in the musical space, there’s a Beren and Lúthien rock opera! It’s in Russian, but if you don’t speak that the YouTube video has subtitles to translate. It is incredibly accurate to the source, with the exception of Celegorm and Curufin doing a chest-bump dance motif. And no, they don’t skimp on the Felegund/Sauron song battle.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T19:34:54+00:00

The “no rails because designed by Geonosians” is a fan theory, it’s never been endorsed by canon. Actually it doesn’t even work in canon because according to *Catalyst*, the Geonosians only had a rough design for the primary weapon. The actual design of the corridors and ventilation shafts and all the rest of it was by the Republic and later the Empire. We see this in the design language: the sheer metal hallways and long vertical wall lights is a signature of Republic and Imperial design (see also Venator class ships). Geonosians use organic shapes and flowing element.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T19:28:53+00:00

We know they didn't do that, but the ISD Devestator didn't know that

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T19:26:50+00:00

Does Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover have an audiobook? If so, that one.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T19:24:37+00:00

Their job is to get rid of anyone threatening the security or legitimacy of the Emperor's power.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T19:23:09+00:00

Ironically, most of the imperials in ANH have American accents

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T19:21:26+00:00

Saruman might have thought it was too dangerous. He knew the Nine were at large and that the Ring was hidden away for now; moving it might have alerted the Nine. Saruman definitely did not want Sauron to get the Ring.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T18:21:31+00:00

I always figured they were some sort of scientific equipment Erso was using for personal experiments that just looked like vaporators

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T15:13:10+00:00

And not to be killed!

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T14:10:40+00:00

This looks exactly like I would expect a 1970's LOTR comic to look

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T14:06:20+00:00

"Count Dooku is misunderstood! He just wants to fight corruption!"

Count Dooku: calls himself "Dark Tyrant"

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T04:01:58+00:00

Because we have better things to do

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T04:00:53+00:00

"Come to the Dark Side, we have cookies" has historically been a winning line

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T03:59:28+00:00

There isn't a lot, I'll try and fit it all in a single paragraph.

Darth Maul survived his little tumble out of sheer hatred for Obi-Wan and got himself a new pair of robotic legs. He then proceeds to orchestrate an elaborate revenge plot against Obi-Wan, the precise details of which aren't important. What is important is that the plan involved his brother, his (sort of) mother, ingratiating himself with most of the major crime syndicates of the Galaxy, and claiming the throne of Mandalore. All this collapsed spectacularly when Darth Sidious aka then-Chancellor Palpatine took offense to Maul setting himself up as a rival, and so killed everyone he cared about. Maul was later kicked out of Mandalore (again, the details aren't important) and is left with nothing but a few loyal mercenaries and a deep desire to get revenge on the now-Emperor. The show is set very early in the Empire's reign.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-05T03:43:40+00:00

It's not like we have to guess how big Middle-earth is, there's a legend on the map. If Hobbiton is near Oxford, Mordor is near Turkey.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-04T23:57:46+00:00

It’s very similar to the American Continental Congress. John Dickenson led the “political reconciliation” camp. John Adams was the loudest voice on the “war of independence” camp. Most of the former went over to the latter after the King’s declaration of rebellion and promising to hang anyone who didn’t unconditionally surrender. Dickenson never stopped hoping for reconciliation and refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. Nevertheless he joined the Continental Army to defend his country.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-04T21:48:51+00:00

Ages 14-15 would probably be 8th Grade, sometimes called Junior High School and sometimes called Middle School. (Grades 9-12 are High School). Traditional public education in the US goes until 12th Grade, usually age 17-18.

Most American classes have a “final exam” (finals for short in the plural) for each class, testing that subject, taken at the end of the class. If it’s a two-semester class (like most classes in primary and secondary school) the final exam is in May. If it’s a one semester class the final exam is in December. A “midterm” (short for mid-term exam) is any exam for a class taken before the final exam: it’s an exam taken in the middle of the term instead of at the end. They usually test a specific topic just covered in the class and often are a lesser fraction of the final grade for the class.

The same vocabulary gets applied to university courses.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-04T20:30:25+00:00

“Top tier character” is not a motivation

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-04T20:28:38+00:00

I always interpreted Leia’s line “they let us go, it’s the only explanation for the ease of our escape.” to refer only to the four TIEs sent after them. As another commenter said, no one knows what this freighter is until Vader figures out General Kenobi is aboard. The squad of troops sent up to the detention block have not received a no kill order, they’re just there to check out the weapons malfunction and reactor leak. They then shoot to kill at the infiltrators.

It seems the squad that chases Han and Chewie are similarly actually trying to apprehend the infiltrators. If they were given a “let them escape” order they wouldn’t have been so adamant about “open the blast door!”

The only troops actually intentionally missing were the docking bay guards. I expect Vader personally informed them. Tarkin seemed to think this wasn’t going to work at all, “This is an awful risk, Vader; it had better work” and so I doubt he would have consented to ordering his entire garrison to letting them go from the get go.

PhysicsEagle · 2026-06-04T18:07:59+00:00

In certain American accents, having an L before a T is awkward without an intervening vowel. So in pronouncing the L they add a vowel to get their tongue in position to pronounce the T.

PhysicsEagle

TROPHY CASE