I have made no secret of my love for the Harry Potter series (though it does not yet surpass my love for Star Wars), and I love my cross-franchise references. So, when Revenge of the Sith was release back it May, among all the other things I was greatly looking forward to what I was sure would be the last scene in the movie. Sure enough, there it was just before the iris out to credits. Obi-Wan delivered the infant Luke to Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. The New Hope scene, henceforth known as the Harry Potter scene.

Of course, those familiar with the Harry Potter books or the first movie recognize how and why the last scene in Revenge of the Sith has to resemble the first scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Both Luke and Harry are ostensibly left on the doorstep of their Aunt & Uncle's by the old wizard with the beard to be raised by said Aunt & Uncle until they are called upon by the old wizard to learn their destiny. Composer John Williams did not did not disappoint in this scene either (as if he ever did). Not only did he include a beautiful rendition of the Force Theme with the twin sunset, but also if you listen real carefully just as Obi-Wan is handing baby Luke over to Aunt Beru you hear a few notes that are strangely similar to Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter (also composed by John Williams). This was a brilliant touch. As I listened to that cuew on the soundtrack later, I imagined young Luke getting a letter delivered by an astro-droid that read:

Dear Young Skywalker,

Pleased I am to inform you that accepted you have been to the Jedi Academy. Catch the Jedi Express you can in Docking Bay 94 ¾ of Mos Eisley. Looking forward to training you in the ways of the Force I am.

May the Force be with you,
Yoda
Jedi Grand Master
Shaman of the Whills
Protector of the Light Side of the Force

Or something like that.

Like the rest of the Star Wars fandom, I grabbed my copy of the Sith DVD on November 1st. Not only could I watch the movie again in the privacy of my own home, I could watch my favorite scenes (from the many lightsaber duels to the Order 66 sequence) over and over. Such are the joys of DVD. Of course, upon repeated viewings, we catch new and different things in the movies, but we can also look at the movie or at least certain scenes differently depending on the mood we were in while watching it this time around.

Let's take that Harry Potter scene, for instance. When I first saw it (and when I generally think about it) I had that feeling of sadness for the tragedy I just watched mixed with hope and nostalgia for where I knew we would come in with the original trilogy. This last time I watched it, I had a different reaction. The Jedi decide to split up the twins. Bail Organa takes Leia with him to Alderaan. To live in the Royal Palace. As a Princess. But Obi-Wan, you see, takes Luke to Tatooine. To live with his Aunt and Uncle. In the sand.

If you ask me, Luke got a raw deal. His sister got to grow up in the bright center of the universe, and he was dumped on the planet that was furthest from. Yes, my friends, Luke got the shaft.

My strange sense of humor made me look at a few other details of the movie in an odd way, but I'll share just one more with you. That is Anakin's trip to Crazytown. Personally, I found Anakin's turn to the Dark Side fairly believable, but after he did turn, I don't know why Padme didn't notice it right away because everything he says and the way he says it is just a little, I don't know, crazy. My moment of revelation came when Anakin flies to Padme's veranda fresh from massacring the Jedi at the temple. Threepio turns to Artoo and says, "Well, he is under a lot of stress." Now, my mind has always substituted Artoo's beeps and whistles with lines that are humorous and often vulgar that the other characters aren't aware of. What did my brain tell me was Artoo's reply to Threepio? "What you talkin' 'bout stress? Boy's gone to Crazytown!"

When Padme meets Anakin on Mustafar, and he starts going on defending his actions. He says he can overthrow Palpatine. Then he says something to the effect of, "We can rule the galaxy together, make it the way we want." I thought he should have added something innocuous to really sell the idea of him and Padme ruling their own empire like, "Won't that be nice?" Then I thought, Yep, this boy is the Mayor of Crazytown.

Here's a fun game. Every time someone outside Anakin or Palpatine refers to the Dark Side, change "Dark Side" to "Crazytown". Obi-Wan to Padme: "Anakin has gone to Crazytown." Padme to Anakin: "Obi-Wan told me terrible things. He said you went to Crazytown." (Now, this one stretches the rules, but it still works) Yoda to Obi-Wan: "The boy you trained, gone he is, moved to Crazytown."

Well, that's all I have for now. Stay tuned for my second installment of far-out Alias-like plot twists that just might have happened in Star Wars...