[ernesttomlinson]

I was thinking about this on Saturday when I was working. What are the worst instances in the Star Wars movies (first three, please) where a character confidently says something that's hopelessly, preciously wrong?

1. Ben: "Only imperial Stormtroopers are so precise."

2. Ben: "This place can be a little rough." Luke: "I'm ready for anything."

3. Adm. Motti: "Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they have obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe!" (Am I the only one who thinks that Motti sounds a little, er, nelly?)

4. Adm. Motti: "Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to help you find the rebels' hidden fortr--" (I take this as Lucas's knowing wink to Akira Kurosawa and The Hidden Fortress, an inspiration for Star Wars, although not as much an inspiration as some have claimed.)

5. Solo: "Everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you." (How are you?)

6. Biggs: "Eject!" Porkins: "No, I can hold it!"

7. Gov. Tarkin (no way I'm calling him "Grand Moff"): "Evacuate?? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances."

8. Luke: "You will bring Captain Solo and the wookiee to me." (I think Luke cuts a really bad figure here and everywhere in the first act of Return of the Jedi. Talk about overconfidence being a weakness...)

9. Emperor: "An entire legion of my best troops awaits them!" (Actually just about everything the Emperor says can be put on this list but this is the funniest moment. In context.)

Finally, the shortest and best.

10. Solo and Lando: "It's not my fault!"

[Helena]

Surely you've forgotten 'If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine'? And now that we've seen the prequels, you can include just about anything Obi-Wan says about Anakin Skywalker.

[Madam Corvax]

Actually, one of my favourites is "Get this walking carpet out of my way" and the line Leia speaks when he sees the Grand Poo... er Mo... er, I mean governor Tarkin, but I have forgotten how it goes exactly (something about the smell).

[Helena]

I think you missed the point slightly, MC...

[Madam Corvax]

I do not know, maybe I have. I thought Ernest meant lines which are wrong. Well, the lines I quoted seem wrong to me, because every time I hear them I just feel embarassed for the writing skills of the author. But maybe I got the register wrong.

[HK 47]

You mean: "I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board". Maybe Tarkin wears JP Gaultier.

My favorites are the admiral Motti quotes. If anyones seen "Thumb Wars" they know what I mean...

[Madam Corvax]

Thanks HK 47, that is indeed the quote If this is not a horrible line then I do not know what is.

[Helena]

I think he meant 'wrong' in the sense of 'untrue', not 'bad'.

[Madam Corvax]

Oh, I see what you mean. It is just that some of the Ernest quotes did not seem to me "untrue" but "bad" - like "you will bring Captian Solo and the wookie to me".
On the second thought you are right, it is not a true statement - in ROTJ Han was already a general

But ok, I did get the whole idea "wrong" .

[ernesttomlinson]

My point was that the "bring Captain Solo and the wookiee to me" line is obviously supposed to sound menacing and, of course, irresistibly compelling; it is neither and Luke has a woefully mistaken confidence in his abilities, just as the Emperor has a misplaced confidence in his. (Deliberate, perhaps? Luke dresses all in black in these scenes and does something that we've only see Vader do, employ The Choke.)

I agree that Leia's badinage with Tarkin is pretty dire. "I recognized your foul stench"? A bit adolescent, isn't it? (Although I do like her riposte, "I'm surprised that you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself," to Tarkin's informing her of her pending execution.)

[Paladin]

Ben: "This place can be a little rough." Luke: "I'm ready for anything."

Well, Ben was right about that cantina being rough... two gun fights in less than ten minutes!

Surely you've forgotten 'If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine'? And now that we've seen the prequels, you can include just about anything Obi-Wan says about Anakin Skywalker.

What exactly is that statement from Ben supposed to mean... They really made Jedi Knights just about the coolest thing in the universe with the OT. But in the Prequels, they destroy everything the OT created. Jedi became a bunch of generic, super powerful space police that are about as mystical a box of corn flakes!