# Star Wars Episode III: Birth of the Empire **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2004, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133 "2004-05-20T06:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/1 "2004-05-20T06:08:24Z")
[http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004223126,,00.html](http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004223126,,00.html) Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/2 "2004-05-20T06:10:32Z")
> [@](#): > > THE long-awaited final Star Wars blockbuster will be called Birth Of The Empire, movie insiders have revealed. > > And the highlight of the space epic will be a thrilling lightsabre clash between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) while surfing on LAVA. > > The Hollywood source said: ?Anakin and Obi-Wan fight on platforms on the lava. They control these like surfboards.? Errr, the surfing on lava concerns me more than the title, but I know it’s a big deal when these things get named. Now discuss :). ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/3 "2004-05-20T06:44:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Now discuss :). Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/4 "2004-05-20T06:49:26Z")
Surfing? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/5 "2004-05-20T06:57:10Z")
Lava? Don’t they mean fava? As in fava beans? _That_ I’d like to see. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/6 "2004-05-20T06:57:26Z")
Damn… I had predicted it was going to be ‘Rise of the Empire’. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/7 "2004-05-20T07:07:57Z")
I’d heard about the lava thing a long time ago on some Star Wars fan site. From what I remember, At the end of the fight, Anakin gets knocked off his platform into the lava. The severe injuries he suffers are why he ends up in the Darth Vader suit. Makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/8 "2004-05-20T07:10:29Z")
The lava thing is very, very old news for anyone who has read the books. I forget which book it’s described in, though. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/9 "2004-05-20T07:11:28Z")
And, as usual, the above was me. I swear half of her posts are from me. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/10 "2004-05-20T07:18:04Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > Damn… I had predicted it was going to be ‘Rise of the Empire’. Yep, me too. I think though, IIRC, that lego movie that I long ago decided was better than what George will give us next year, was called Rise of the Empire. That may have been what ingrained it in me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Audience](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@The\_Audience](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Audience)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/11 "2004-05-20T07:58:21Z")
Surfing?? Jeez why doesn’t he just make it a musical or an anime cartoon? An anime cartoon would be a good idea know that I think of it… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/12 "2004-05-20T08:19:37Z")
Can’t be true - the name “Birth of the Empire” isn’t _nearly_ stupid enough for a Star Wars film. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/13 "2004-05-20T10:12:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Can’t be true - the name “Birth of the Empire” isn’t _nearly_ stupid enough for a Star Wars film. it is when the climactic scene is where pointed-helmeted Storm Troopers ride in to save Amidala from being ravished by JarJar Binks OK- please, someone get that _G_ ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/14 "2004-05-20T10:18:34Z")
Surfing on lava? “Rail shooter” segment of game tie-in, check. Any thoughts on what they’re gonna do for the jumping and maze segments? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/15 "2004-05-20T10:19:25Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > it is when the climactic scene is where pointed-helmeted Storm Troopers ride in to save Amidala from being ravished by JarJar Binks > > OK- please, someone get that _G_ That was one of the first things that struck me when I saw the title. I wonder if that was a conscious decision on Lucas’s part? Rise of the Empire sounds way better anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/16 "2004-05-20T10:31:44Z")
How about “Star Wars: Return of the $8.50 I Blew on the Last One?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/17 "2004-05-20T11:59:43Z")
In the books, didn’t they fight above a vat of molten metal? I’m sure I read that somewhere. Still, surfing lava flows does sound cooler. I’ve heard that we will not see Anakin becoming Darth Vader. Apparently, Lucas wants it this way. ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/18 "2004-05-20T12:06:10Z")
Surfing? Sounds almost as bad as that scene from _Batman and Robin_ where they surf through the air at the beginning of the movie. I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but come on! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/19 "2004-05-20T12:09:46Z")
Which thread has a cool Doper’s version of the movie that _should_ be made? Someone a few months back wrote a synopsis that ended with the black helmet lowered into place and the “Puaauuuh…Hisssss!” sound of the mask. Those reading the thread couldn’t help but Oo! and Ah! It was a good synopsis and far better than the moive we’ll actually see. “_Birth_ of the Empire?” Meh… whatever. Probably supposed to be a double entendre for Luke and Leia’s birth. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133/20 "2004-05-20T12:38:47Z")
I seem to recall that this was “confirmed” as the title for Episode II as well, so i’d take this one with a grain of salt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-birth-of-the-empire/246133.md?page=2)