More Sithian Thoughts...

(Now that's an ominous title)

Here are some 4-days-out thoughts on "Revenge of the Sith", especially in light of some comments and discussion around the internet that I've been reading....

• For those who are confused about a certain key scene in "Return of the Jedi": Luke asks Leia if she remembers her mother...her real mother. Leia replies that all she remembers are images, feelings. She remembers her being beautiful, but..sad. Or words to that effect.
  
  I'm going to take as a given that before this point, Leia knows she was adopted by Bail Organa and his wife. Somewhere along the line, they told her some things about her real mother, Padme. Maybe they even had pictures? And somewhere between when she first met Luke and the scene in Jedi, she told Luke she was adopted. Luke knew this, which is one reason he figures out she's his sister so quickly.
  
  Now, how she can "remember" her mother, since Padme died only a few minutes after childbirth - I've heard it speculated that perhaps while Leia may not be as strong in the physical aspects of the force as Luke is, her talents may lie more in the spiritual/mental aspects, such as telepathy, divination, that sort of thing. Indeed, the first spark we see is when Luke's hanging from the bottom of Cloud City in "Empire" and reaches out to her with his mind. Leia, not even having any training, hears Luke and is able to find him. So to me, there are no discrepancies or contradictions brought about in the new movie as regards that scene.
  
  Now, where she came up with the names "Luke" and "Leia" on the fly, on her deathbed, is another mystery for another day. Maybe they were the names of her two Naboo bunnies she had when she was a kid...
  
  
• By the way - those of you melonheads out there who are still unclear....Darth Sidious = Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine ;)
  
  
• The more I think about it, the more frustrating it becomes: the fact that Obi-Wan (I believe) had the power to either rescue Anakin from the brink of the lava, or to go ahead and finish him off outright.
  
  I need to see the movie again to remember the particulars, but I recall Anakin is lying on the edge of the "sea", Obi-Wan up the hill above him. Ani tries to claw his way out...hurling invectives all the time - Obi-Wan angsts himself as well, but it's obvious Anakin is helpless. Ironically, Obi is presented the same dilemma Palpatine created early in the movie for Anakin: Should he bring Count Dooku back for trial, or kill him now because he's too great a danger? Anakin chooses to kill Dooku, Palpatine congratulates him for it, and the young Jedi's first step to the Dark Side in this movie has occured. Same for Obi - do I rescue Anakin...my friend, my brother, and risk him betraying me and the Jedi again? Or do I leave him to die, knowing how dangerous he's become. Obi waits, hesitates, torn between his loyalty and his duty. Even the waiting denies Anakin a merciful death - a saber stab to the heart would've ended his misery and pain right there. But Obi-wan waits, and lets the lava decide for him. Anakin ignites and is consumed in the flame.