Welcome, to week 6 of our celebration of Revenge of the Sith 15th’s anniversary.
15 different guests, 15 Interviews, 15 weeks in a row
“So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.”
Welcome, Caitlin to our Revenge of the Sith 15th Anniversary Celebration Series. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to answer our questions.
Hi! Thank you so much for including me! Revenge of the Sith is one of my favorite Star Wars films, and I’m so glad to be able to celebrate it!
Before we get started, could you please share with our readers a little bit about yourself, your content and how you got into Star Wars?
My name is Caitlin, and I am one of the co-hosts of the podcast Skytalkers! My co-host, Charlotte, is actually the one who introduced me to Star Wars when we were in middle school together. Revenge of the Sith had just come out on DVD and Charlotte was obsessed. I can still remember her school notebooks and binders that had pictures of Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman posted in them! She convinced me to watch Star Wars with her, and the rest is history.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Let’s start at the beginning, when and where did you first see Revenge of the Sith?
Revenge of the Sith was the third Star Wars film I saw. When Charlotte convinced me to try watching Star Wars, we decided that I would watch Star Wars for the first time in chronological order. We watched Revenge of the Sith in my basement, probably on a Friday night with pizza and popcorn! Before we got to Revenge of the Sith in our viewing though, I had already started watching lots of fan videos on Star Wars and was eagerly awaiting getting to see the Mustafar battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan. I was so excited for that part!
2. What was your experience like?
It was great! Like I referenced in the last question, I had already been watching fan videos of Star Wars before I had finished watching all of the saga films, and Revenge of the Sith was probably the one I was looking forward to the most. The drama of that film is outstanding, and there’s really nothing else like it.
3. What was your reaction after you saw it your first time?
I think I was so glad to finally see it! It was, after all, the film that had turned Charlotte into a hardcore fan and what she had been talking about nonstop, so to finally, actually see it in its entirety was amazing. Revenge of the Sith is really one of the films that made me a fan and one of the films I return to the most.
4. What is your favorite scene in Revenge of the Sith and why?
This is a hard one! I love, love, love, the scene when Vader is walking into the Jedi temple with all his troopers. I think it’s one of Hayden’s best scenes as Vader: there’s such power in it. I love the camera work too, how Vader walks towards the camera, and then how the camera gives us a bird’s eye view of their march. The Last Jedi paralleled this in a shot with Kylo and I absolutely loved it. The scene where “Padmé’s Ruminations” plays too is just achingly beautiful. The emotions from Hayden and Natalie, the color palette, the foreboding in that scene, and the music all come together for a perfect scene.
5. What is your favorite character in Revenge of the Sith and why?
Probably Anakin! When I first saw Revenge of the Sith, I think I would’ve said Obi-Wan, but in the past few years, my love for Anakin has really grown. His journey throughout this film, as well as all of the prequel era content, has created such a well-developed character. I think there’s a lot of subtlety in Hayden’s performance in this film, and I love seeing new elements of his portrayal every time I watch it.
6. What is your favorite tie-in material (from ether Legends or canon) and why?
Charlotte recently purchased for me the “Making of Revenge of the Sith” book and I have been loving going through it! But other than that, I have to say the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover. There’s really nothing else like it. That novelization has withstood the test of time and has really informed my viewing of the film.
7. What is your favorite piece of merchandise/collectible from this film and why?
(I actually don’t know if I have any merchandise from this film….!). I will say that the year I watched Star Wars for the first time, I got all of the DVDs for Christmas that year, and I have a distinct memory of opening up the Revenge of the Sith DVD. The cover art for it is so memorable and I was excited. Up until that point, I had only ever watched the film with Charlotte’s DVD, so having my own copy of the movie was BIG.
8. When you think of Revenge of the Sith, what do you think about and why?
When I think of Revenge of the Sith, the first thing that usually pops into my mind is the colors from it. I think the movie is one of the most visually appealing films and has the most memorable colors and sets. The almost eternal sunset in the movie is so fitting, and really beautiful throughout. The red of Mustafar is so striking that you can’t help but think about it every time that movie is brought up. Thematically though, I usually think about how cool it is that Revenge of the Sith is technically a middle chapter, but it was how George was actually closing out his saga. It had to check a lot of boxes and I think the movie did that very successfully.
9. 15 years later, has your opinion changed at all on the film? If so how?
I think I’ve just grown to love it even more. Revenge of the Sith really is the catalyst for my fandom and love of Star Wars. Every time I watch the movie, I find myself focusing on different things: the dialogue, the music, the visuals, the sound design, etc. It’s a film that really keeps giving in my opinion, and there’s always something new to see.
10. What does Revenge of the Sith mean to you currently?
Currently? A hard question! It was the first saga film that I watched after The Rise of Skywalker, and I was very happy to say that my personal feelings toward TROS did not diminish my love for this movie. In a way, it kind of welcomed me back into the Skywalker Saga when I wasn’t feeling very great about things because I didn’t love TROS. For as tragic as this movie is, it is always a place of comfort for me.
11. What are somethings about the Revenge of the Sith that you love, respect or hold dear that others may overlook and why?
I actually think that my two favorite scenes can be overlooked sometimes! Particularly Anakin’s moment. It’s a very short scene, but I think it’s so masterfully done. I don’t know how to explain why I love it so much, but it’s just so good and I’m like, “Yes! Anakin go, be Darth Vader!”
12. Where does Revenge of the Sith sit for you in your personal ranking of the 12 theatrical releases and why?
Hmmm, this is a hard question! Maybe 3 or 4? I don’t really like to rank Star Wars films anymore, but rather pick my favorite films out of each trilogy/anthology. While Attack of the Clones is my personal favorite out of the prequel trilogy, I do think that Revenge of the Sith is the technical better of the two.
13. What would you like to see in the future around Revenge of the Sith, ether stories, merchandise, features, interviews, etc?
I would love at some point to have a retrospective with Hayden, Natalie, and Ewan all talking about that movie together. I would love to hear a conversation among the three of them talking about the character journeys of all their characters throughout the prequel trilogy. I think they all really loved their characters and it would be great to hear their thoughts on them after all these years.
14. In your opinion, what is the legacy of Revenge of the Sith?
>I think the film is inextricably tied to George Lucas’s legacy. It really does feel completely like his film. I know they’re all his films, but I feel like he got to say everything he wanted to say about Anakin and his fall to the Dark Side in it. For fans, I think there are so many people out there who, like me and Charlotte, fell down the Star Wars rabbit hole with this movie. I think it’s an incredibly important movie.
15. What are your last words on Revenge of the Sith and/ or things you would like readers to know about this film?
This film is so important to me! Not only is it sentimental for me becoming a fan, but I think it’s also just a really good movie. Fifteen years has gone by so quickly and I think this movie will only continue to age well and be a favorite among future Star Wars fans to come.
Thanks again Caitlin for joining us in this 15th-anniversary celebration of Revenge of the Sith.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk about Revenge of the Sith!
If people would like to find you or your content, where can they find it?
Thank you again for this space to show some more love for this film, it was so great to reflect more on what this movie means to me. If people are interested in finding me online, I’m most often on Twitter @caitlinplesher. If anyone is interested in hearing me talk about Star Wars, you can find me on Skytalkers Podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts, or on Twitter @skytalkerspod!
Thank you readers for joining us in the celebration of Revenge of the Sith and stay tuned for our next entry into this series, coming next Monday. Till then, we wish you nothing but the best, stay safe out there, and May the Force be with you.
-JediGeekGirl
irebeldestiny.com 