Revenge of the Sith FAQ

Has Revenge of the Sith left you in a state of confusion? Or have the complexities of the Star Wars Saga back-story simply put you off seeing it?
Whatever your anxiety, fear not - this FAQ could be just what you're looking for!

1) Why is it rated 12a / PG-13?

The lowly dogs at the MPAA /BBFC say: "sci-fi violence and intense images". Specifically, this includes deformation, immolation, executions and Force-choking of pregnant women. However, if you have kids who could stomach any LotR movie, this shouldn't be too nasty for them.

2) Revenge... for what?

Over a thousand years ago, the Army of Light and the Brotherhood of Evil clashed on the planet of Ruusan. It was during this battle that the Sith were all but annihilated. One Dark Lord got away, though. His name was Darth Bane. He reformed the Sith order into the way of the modern Sith, and for that a Sith would always take "Darth" as a title.

"Always two there are, a master... and an apprentice." -- Yoda, Episode I

You see, Sith were always killing each other for more power back then. Thanks to Bane's new plan the Sith would be somewhat more efficient. They would also be condemned to working in secrecy, biding their time until their day would come. Centuries later, a Dark Lord named Darth Sidious (or Palpatine to the general public) found himself in a very advantageous position indeed...

3) What was that war about again?

A few years ago (around the time of Clones, to be exact) several thousands of systems seceded from the Republic at the urgings of former Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS). The CIS's first members were mainly alien super-corporations like the Trade Federation from Episode I, the Banking Clan, the Techno Union, etc.
Their profits lessened by Republic taxations, they thought their own government would seriously benefit them financially. Even more so if they were the supreme authority (and corporate monopoly-holders) in the galaxy.

4) You mean Dooku was in it for the money?

He claimed to be in it for a better, non-corrupt galaxy.

5) A better, non-corrupt galaxy? How do the Sith fit into this?

Darth Sidious had been egging on parties like the Trade Federation (the Naboo-invasion in The Phantom Menace, for instance) for years, trying to create a climate of fear and insecurity among the general populace of the Republic so that his alter ego, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, would be "forced" to take action and declare martial law, receiving more and more "emergency" powers as time went by.

6) But what would Dooku gain from this?

The promise of the elimination of the Jedi, a group he left in disgust many years ago, and a place at Palpatine's side as his right hand man. The destruction of the CIS (or Separatists) would also guarantee a more human-centric galaxy, which Dooku would very much approve of (notorious speciesist as he was). Here's where Grievous would come in.

7) Oh yeah, who was that Grievous?

Grievous was a Kaleesh general, and an invaluable tactician to his people in their war against the enemy Huc (another species on that planet). The Republic sided with the Huc in this conflict and funded their efforts. Approached by Dooku, Grievous initially did not wish to join the CIS. His interests lay only with the war against the Huc, not the larger conflict. Dumbfounded, Dooku went to his master Sidious for advice. Sidious suggested they bombed his speeder and blame the Republic for it. In the "accident", Grievous lost a lot of his body, and the Techno Union provided for mechanical replacements. Disgusted by the Republic's cowardice, Grievous agreed to become the Separatists' military leader (whereas Dooku was the political figurehead). Grievous once again was severely wounded while abducting the Chancellor: Mace Windu Force-crushed his metallic chest, resulting in Grievous' nasty cough heard in the film. According to Dooku and Sidious' agreement, Grievous would also serve as a scapegoat for when the Republic would be victorious. Dooku would only have to claim he knew nothing of Grievous' terrible atrocities during the war. Secretly, Palpatine thought otherwise though.

8) He wanted Anakin, right?

Yup, and Dooku was the real scapegoat. He wanted the Chosen One at his side to cement his eventual choke-hold on the galaxy.

9) Is Darth Sidious Darth Plagueis' apprentice?

That is implied, though not explicitly stated. Palpy's smile during his account of the tale should say enough, though.

10) Did Darth Plagueis create Anakin?

That is again implied, though never explicitly stated. George deliberately left it open for debate, methinks.

11) How come Mace Windu proverbially Pwn3d Palpatine, while Palpatine kicked Yoda's ass?

Palpatine faked his defeat, in order to show Anakin the Jedi truly wanted him dead and to take control of the Republic. Take this into consideration: if he was really near death, where did he get the energy to blast Mace for what looked like miles out of his window?

12) What's with Palpatine's face/Anakin's eyes?

Complete immersion into the Dark Side apparently has physical side-effects, chief among which is having yellow eyes, i.e. Vader and Maul. Sidious, having been a Dark Lord throughout all the prequels, masked this using the Force. The battle with Windu exhausted him thusly that he could no longer keep up appearances. And as we can see from his real face, the Dark Side's longer-term side-effects are akin to what smoking does to your longues over the years. He didn't bother to go back to his "mask" and pretended his true face was a deformation caused by a Jedi's attempt on his life.

13) How can you die from losing the will to live?

It's usually a months-long process that only happens to the elderly, though it has been known to happen to princesses in fairy-tales. Or Senators.

14) The Jedi are such dumbasses! If there are only two Sith and so many Jedi in the galaxy, what else could they have expected from someone who will bring "balance to the Force"?

Let me answer that with a little parable, not unlike Jesus.

A man once went to the doctor with the flu.

Man:Doc, I got a nasty case of the flu here.
Doctor: Okay buddy, I'll just give you this here flu-shot, it'll balance you right out.
Man:You mean you'll inject just as many antitoxins into my body as there are bacteria?
Doctor:Uh... Yeah, sure.

15) Who's that guy with the goatee?

That's Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, one of Padmé's best Senate-buddies. Long ago, he seconded the motion of no confidence against Chancellor Valorum. Together with Mon Mothma, Senator of Chandrila, they first formed the idea of a Rebellion. That scene was left on the cutting room floor, unfortunately. Mon Mothma can still be seen in the crowd of politicians welcoming back Palpatine right after he's rescued on the landing platform.

16) He gives the droids to a certain "Captain Antilles". Any relation to...

Nope. George stated that "Bail Antilles" is like the Star Wars equivalent of "John Smith". This particular Antilles gets choked to death by Vader at the beginning of Episode IV.

17) What else has been cut from the film, then?

*On Grievous' ship, Obi-Wan and Anakin are surrounded by battle droids and cut a hole in the floor to escape.

*Obi-Wan and Anakin are trapped in a chamber, filling up with fuel and must escape.

*The Petition of the Two-Thousand, an initiative of Padmé, Bail and Mon Mothma to try and convince Palpatine to finally give up his emergency powers. When this proves fruitless, they first start contemplating rebellion. It is likely this petition is also signed by Bana Breemu, a Senator played by Bai Ling. She was not cut because she appeared in Playboy, contrary to popular belief.

*Yoda fooling some clone troopers in order to escape by, in fact, actin' da fool.

*Anakin has some cruel one-liners while dispatching the Separatist leaders.

*Yoda meditating on Polis Massa, eventually contacting Qui-Gon in an intense trance and having a bit of a chat with him on the nature of the Force.

*Yoda's crash-landing on Dagobah.

18) How can Obi-Wan call Sidious "the Emperor" if Palpatine is only announcing the change from Republic to Empire at that exact same moment?

Palpatine makes a reference to "the Empire" on the hologram recording. Who else would be its Emperor?

19) How does Palpatine know Padmé's dead?

If one of the USA's most popular congressmen died an unnatural death, wouldn't it be on CNN in, like, five minutes? Star Wars' CNN is called the Holonet.

20) Are stormtroopers clones?

There's evidence for both answers to that.

On the audio-commentary to Episode II, George says he made Jango Fett bump his head like that stormtrooper in Episode IV, to make it a nice little continuity gag.

While Boba Fett's voice was redone by Temuera Morrison for the DVD edition of the classic trilogy, the stormtroopers' voices have remained the same. It also makes sense that Palpatine (being the megalomaniac he is and all) just used conscripts in order to keep people from sitting at home and having rebellious thoughts. Officers like Piett and such are also clearly not clones of Jango Fett, and one assumes most officers were once troopers.

21) How come they built the first Death Star in approximately 20 years, and the second one in four?

The first one was a learning process. The first time you build something, it's obvious you won't be as fast or good at it as the second time.

Also, it's never explicitly stated how old or new the Death Star was in Episode IV, and in Episode VI they're dealing with a not-yet-completed (although operational) Death Star.

22) How come Leia remembers her mother?

"Through the Force, things you will see, other places, the future, the past, old friends long gone." -- Yoda, Episode V

"Just... images really. Feelings." -- Leia, Episode VI

That should clear things up nicely.

23) How come Obi-Wan doesn't remember R2 in Episode IV?

"I don't recall ever owning a droid." -- Obi-Wan, Episode IV

"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father." -- Obi-Wan, Episode IV

Both statements are very much true... from a certain point of view.

24) How come Vader doesn't recognize 3PO in Episode V?

He never heard 3PO's voice. But even if he did, he had more important matters to attend to... you'd think one's son would rank somewhat higher than a droid one used to own.

25) Are there any differences between digital and regular showings?

No, this is just a rumour. I certainly didnt notice any.

26) When will it be out on DVD?

This Christmas, according to George. Other sources say November.

27) When will the entire saga be out on DVD in one shiny box?

Not for a while, according to George.

28) What's with those TV-shows based on Star Wars?

One's gonna be a CGI-animated show on the Clone Wars, the other a live action series about minor Star Wars characters during the timespan between episodes III and IV. Matthew Newton, son of popular Aussie actor Bert "Moonface" Newton, has been asked by George to check his availableness. Newton was also the nr. 2 choice for Anakin Skywalker if Hayden didn't pan out in some way.

29) Where was the Millennium Falcon cameo?

In the establishing shot of Obi-Wan and Anakin's shuttle docking, right after they've saved the Chancellor. It's in the right bottom of the screen, though I think it to be just some random YT-1300 freighter.

30) Where's George's cameo?

He's the second guy on the left when Anakin walks into Palpatine's box at the theater. He has a blue face and wears a funny hat.

Feel free to add to this FAQ via the comments option below!