Posted 28 May 2006 - 09:53 PM
(I'm going to regret getting into this discussion)
Let me put this as best as I can. The Death Star run works because it is an immediate reaction to immediate threat. They DS is approaching, they launch ships in a desperate act to save the rebels. Simple. Pure. Ideal.
The pod race is completely INDIRECT response to a threat that is first off, uncertain and ridiculous ("thousands dying by starvation? in just a day or two??").. and even if the threat was real and certain, and the heroes DESPERATELY need to save them, then they chose the stupidest and SLOWEST and UNCERTAIN means to accomplish their goal. Get a slave boy from a slave-driver to race him in a pod-race, which he's never placed in, get money from the pod-race, pay for parts, fix the ship, get off planet, get to Coruscant, talk to Senate, talk to Jedi Council---AND PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSEDLY DYING!!!!????? (And as an aside, they also take the time to vote out the current Chancellor, nominate a new chancellor, and vote him in!! ARGH_BARF!!!!)
If the situation was so desperate and so intense---the last and least thing to do is muck about with a slave boy and stupid pod races!!! I don't care if he's the "Chosen One" The boy was going nowhere, he was being treated well, Qui-Gon could've found another way to get off the planet (he's a rogue Jedi anyway), and then come back in a month or two seeking his release with mucho-more traded-in credits!
This IS a pure waste of film. "Filler" and Lucas admits it himself.
I wish TPM WAS as "simple" as ANH. We wouldn't have the BS we have in these prequels.
"That's all I have to say about that."