# Star Wars Episode III: Revenge fo the Sith. Couple Questions..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607 "2005-01-07T17:54:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JustPlainBryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JustPlainBryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustPlainBryan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/21 "2005-01-07T22:09:24Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I think that is precisely what happened. The question, then, is why Vader didn’t simply leave Tarkin to his fate in the battle of Yavin, rather than try and save the Death Star. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/22 "2005-01-07T22:16:49Z")
Leia had some relatively detailed memories of her mother, at least enough to remember her as, “very beautiful…but sad.” I don’t think that can be ascribed to anything but knowledge of her when she was a small child. We’ll see what he does. I always imagined the Emperor telling Vader to go the the Death Star, and make sure everything was going well. I could picture him telling Vader to let Tarkin have charge of everything (including, to a certain extent, Vader himself), but to be ready to pull Tarkin’s plug if he does anything too far off the plan. I always assumed that Vader was known and feared throughout the Empire, but at the same time was outside of the Empire’s standard hierarchy, so that he could be sent to diverse places and events to serve whatever role the Emperor saw fit. Clearly Tarkin was an influential and important man within the Empire, and as such he might have had less fear of Vader than your typical officer. As Tarkin saw it, he was carrying out the Emperor’s plan very well. He captured Leia, destroyed Alderaan, and was about to destroy the military arm of the Rebellion. As such, the Emperor would have no reason to get rid of him, so Vader was not much of a threat to him. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/23 "2005-01-07T22:47:17Z")
> [@JustPlainBryan](#): > > The question, then, is why Vader didn’t simply leave Tarkin to his fate in the battle of Yavin, rather than try and save the Death Star. You’re one of two Sith Lords in charge of running an incredibly inefficient, bloated, galaxy-wide bureaucracy – how often do you get a chance to strap yourself into a TIE and blow up some stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/24 "2005-01-07T23:22:47Z")
My take on Vader and Tarkin: Vader was on the Death Star for one very specific reason. He was there to kill Tarkin if Tarkin decided to use the Death Star to make a power play for the Emperor’s throne. Tarkin is a ruthless, ambitious, murderous megalomaniac. He’s not going to settle for second fiddle forever. Palpatine knows this, and Tarkin knows Palpatine knows this, and Palpatine knows Tarkins knows that Palpatine knows this, and so on and so forth. Vader himself, at least in the first movie, is outside the hierarchy of the Imperial military. He reports directly to the Emperor, and to no one else. I suspect that, when the Emperor sent him to the Death Star, he was told something like, “Go keep an eye on Tarkin. Make sure he doesn’t get too greedy. Do whatever he says, but if he steps out of line… you know what to do.” That’s why Vader takes Tarkin’s shit, and why Tarkin enjoys jerking Vader around so much. They both know that sooner or later, Tarkin is going to betray the Emperor, and Vader is going to be tasked with killing him. You know Tarkin already has a plan to kill Vader. You don’t fuck with a seven foot tall magical cyborg with a laser sword unless you’ve got a concrete plan to kill him before he can take revenge. And Vader puts up with it, because every little slight about his “dead religion” means one more piece he cuts Tarkin into when the Emperor finally gives the order. And yes, I’m aware that I’ve probably put far more thought into this than George Lucas ever did. Dammit, _someone_ has to! ---
**Author:** ![JustPlainBryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JustPlainBryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustPlainBryan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/25 "2005-01-07T23:30:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You don’t fuck with a seven foot tall magical cyborg with a laser sword unless you’ve got a concrete plan to kill him before he can take revenge. I cracked up when I read this. Never have I read a summary of Vader more succinctly put! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/26 "2005-01-07T23:37:24Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > Leia had some relatively detailed memories of her mother, at least enough to remember her as, “very beautiful…but sad.” I don’t think that can be ascribed to anything but knowledge of her when she was a small child. We’ll see what he does. Consider how beautiful and sad Padme’s handmaidens are and always have been. Consider they are trained to take Padme’s place when need be. I’m just speculating, though. I have no insider info on this. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/27 "2005-01-07T23:49:33Z")
Yeah, if Padme dies at the end, she could always tell a handmaiden to take care of Leia and raise her as her mother. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/28 "2005-01-08T00:02:55Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > In the past, Samuel L. Jackson has said that one of his conditions for playing Mace Windu was that he die in a blaze of glory (I think he actually told Lucas something like, “I won’t die like a pussy.”), so that part ought to be fun to watch. Jackson got a lot of goodies from Lucas, the purple light sabre blade, having “Bad Motherfucker” engraved on the pommel, and the cool death. Think maybe he has something on Lucas? (Like pristine copies of the movies that he’ll release on Kazaa, etc. if Lucas doesn’t do what he wants?) I’m _hoping_ that the movie will be cool, but I’m expecting it to suck. I’ll still go see it, because I like the look of the Star Wars universe, even if the storylines are a pale shadow of their former selves. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/29 "2005-01-08T01:04:17Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Jackson got a lot of goodies from Lucas, the purple light sabre blade, having “Bad Motherfucker” engraved on the pommel, and the cool death. I’ve known about 2 of the three. What’s up with the bad mofo thing? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/30 "2005-01-08T01:06:13Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > I’ve known about 2 of the three. What’s up with the bad mofo thing? “Bad Motherfucker” was embossed on his character’s wallet in Pulp Fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/31 "2005-01-08T01:07:08Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > I’ve known about 2 of the three. What’s up with the bad mofo thing? Somehow “Bad motherfucker” ties in with Jackson’s role in _Pulp Fiction_, I really don’t know the details as I couldn’t sit through the film. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/32 "2005-01-08T01:31:18Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > having “Bad Motherfucker” engraved on the pommel Sorry I meant about this. What does bad mofo have to do with Star Wars? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/33 "2005-01-08T01:37:51Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Sorry I meant about this. What does bad mofo have to do with Star Wars? He’s got fetish or something about the phrase and since it couldn’t be said in the film, he had them engrave it on the pommel of his light sabre. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/34 "2005-01-08T01:49:11Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > In the past, Samuel L. Jackson has said that one of his conditions for playing Mace Windu was that he die in a blaze of glory (I think he actually told Lucas something like, “I won’t die like a pussy.”), so that part ought to be fun to watch. I believe the exact term was, “I don’t want to go out like a punk.” Word! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/35 "2005-01-08T01:53:01Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > He’s got fetish or something about the phrase and since it couldn’t be said in the film, he had them engrave it on the pommel of his light sabre. Of course you never see it right? I wonder what “force” he holds over Lucas. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/36 "2005-01-08T01:57:49Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Of course you never see it right? > > I wonder what “force” he holds over Lucas. Nope, it’s not visible to the camera. The only way I know about it is an interview Jackson gave in some magazine talking about the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/37 "2005-01-08T02:18:13Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > I wonder what “force” he holds over Lucas. He has Lucas’ soul in a briefcase. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/38 "2005-01-08T02:20:02Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > He has Lucas’ soul in a briefcase. Maybe his nickname is Mcguffin. OK makes sense now, I couldn’t imagine profanity in any way shape or form in SW. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/39 "2005-01-08T03:07:38Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > IIRC, anything Star Wars is canon and wasn’t there a Sith in the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series? Dooku notes that though the… um, thing looks (what was her name?) and fights like a Sith she couldn’t possibly be one as he sensed fear from her. Dooku seems to have info about Sith behavior, but it is possibly that he read it in a book. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607/40 "2005-01-08T04:38:38Z")
Why wouldn’t Dooku know about the Sith? Dooku is Darrth Tyranus. Does Jackson really have “Badass Motherfucker” on his hilt? I had heard it was the somewhat-more-innocuous “BAMF” which stood for the same thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-fo-the-sith-couple-questions/283607.md?page=3)