History Awesome / RevengeOfTheSith

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WeUsedToBeFriends A friendship]] [[BattleAmongstTheFlames in flames.]]]]

[-[[caption-width-right:350:'''Obi-Wan:''' I will do what I must.\\
'''Darth Vader:''' You will try.]]-]

** Conversely, if you're rooting for the Sith side, consider this: Palpatine was at least able to go toe-to-toe against a Jedi Master with ''700 more years'' of experience than he did (and before, several Jedi Masters who have had the past 3 years to hone their skills in active combat duty), while spending most of his time working a day job as a politician, and balancing a dozen other schemes. Sidious was both the smartest and most badass person in any room, equal to Windu as a warrior, equal to Yoda as a mystic, and yet neither was his chief job. His chief job was making those fights happen in the first place - making it so that the Jedi came to him desperate, disgraced, flatfooted, off-balance, and then as cherry on the cake, failing to eliminate him even in personal combat. In surviving and equalling Yoda, Palpatine has faced the most terrifying weapon of the Jedi Order, the epitome of all they were, and personally ''beat it back''.

* The Legends novelization gives one to no else but Lorth Needa (the Imperial captain from ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' that, after being fooled by Han, went to Darth Vader to take personal responsibility for the failure so the Sith Lord would spare his crew from his wrath, [[YouHaveFailedMe knowing he'd die for it]]), by showing why the ''Invisible Hand'' was where it was when Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded it and why the ''Guarlara'' then went and shot it down: a strike group composed by a ''Dreadnought''-class heavy cruiser and three ''Carrack''-class cruisers, that together didn't mass half of Grievious' ship, ''attacked the ''Invisible Hand'', pushed it into position and '''damaged the engines so it couldn't escape''''', at the cost of the ''Dreadnought'' and one of the ''Carrack'', and when contact was lost with Obi-Wan and Anakin Needa, as the highest-ranking officer left in the strike group, went and [[DontMakeMeDestroyYou demanded Grievous' surrender on pain of death]]. Grievous obviously refused... And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qNKfKxvsUI we all know what Needa called in]].
** Then FridgeBrilliance kicks in, and makes the whole situation more awesome for Grievous: according to Palpatine's plan he was supposed to get bogged down after kidnapping him so that Anakin and Obi-Wan could rescue him, except that Grievous' assault on Coruscant was so effective it took a suicidal action that disabled his ship's engines to actually get that to happen.

** Equally satisfying is the fantastic contempt in Palpatine's voice when he commands Anakin, newly-minted as Darth Vader to "[[NoIndoorVoice WIPE OUT. VICEROY. GUNRAY.]] And the other separatist leaders." [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Finally, Gunray and his ilk are paying for their crimes]]

** Initially, Sidious is the attacker, throwing thrusts and slashes while the nimble Yoda dodges them, but when they actually lock blades in the podium on the Senate hall, Sidious stops smiling and grimaces in shock at noting Yoda is ''overpowering him'' in the hold. A small alien that barely reaches his waist actually proves stronger than Sidious at hand-to-hand, and the latter can only scream on rage while Yoda pushes his blade away and keeps fighting.

** The best part? Yoda actually ''wins'' the fight. He first makes Palpatine run for his life, later equals him in swordfighting and forces him to forfeit that field with much less struggle than Windu, and when Palpatine unloads all of his admittedly impressive Force powers, Yoda still stops them and deflects them back to him without the help of a lightsaber. If it is Yoda and not Sidious the one forced to retreat (although that was precisely what Sidious had been trying to do through all the fight) is due to the fortuitous factor that Sidious, with his greater weight and longer arms, can avoid being blasted off their pod, while the much lighter Yoda cannot and falls all the way down to the central podium.
** Conversely, if you're rooting for the Sith side, consider this: Palpatine was at least able to go toe-to-toe against a Jedi Master with ''700 more years'' of experience than he did (and before, several Jedi Masters who's had the past 3 years to hone their skills in active combat duty), while spending most of his time working a day job as a politician, and balancing a dozen other schemes. Sidious was both the smartest and most badass person in any room, equal to Windu as a warrior, equal to Yoda as a mystic, and yet neither was his chief job. His chief job was making those fights happen in the first place - making it so that the Jedi came to him desperate, disgraced, flatfooted, off-balance, and then as cherry on the cake, failing to eliminate him even in personal combat. In surviving and equalling Yoda, Palpatine has faced the most terrifying weapon of the Jedi Order, the epitome of all they were, and personally ''beat it back''.

* At the end, all it took was Vader taking one deep mechanical breath and every hair on your body stood on end, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6bEs3dxjPg followed by a heart-wrenching]] BigNo. Bonus points goes to Vader's first breath for the fact that because of the haze in the room not only does the viewer hear Vader's first breath, they '''''see it.'''''

* Vader and Palpatine observe the first death star being constructed. Vader crosses his arms, and the Emperor just stands watching. What an awesome image depicting the evil the galaxy will have to deal with for the next 22 years.

* Credit must be given to the Padawans of the Jedi temple. Everything indicates that they went [[DefiantToTheEnd out fighting]]. One Padawan chops down several clone troopers who were barricading Bail Organa before getting gunned down, probably saving his life, and a couple Padawans are seen temporarily holding off Vader with their lightsabers before being cut down. The latter cannot be understated, as two boys, barely into their teens took one on one of the most powerful Force users in the whole galaxy in a lightsaber duel and temporarily held their own.

* As the Jedi fly through the engagement, most of capital ships are engaged in a StandardStarshipScuffle. Then, out of nowhere, one of the Star Destroyers [[WaveMotionGun fires a turbolaser beam from its ventral hangar bay]], [[CurbStompBattle obliterating]] one of the Separatist frigates.

* The Legends novelization gives one to no else but Lorth Needa (the Imperial captain from ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' that, after being fooled by Han, went to Darth Vader to take personal responsability for the failure so the Sith Lord would spare his crew from his wrath, [[YouHaveFailedMe knowing he'd die for it]]), by showing why the ''Invisible Hand'' was where it was when Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded it and why the ''Guarlara'' then went and shot it down: a strike group composed by a ''Dreadnought''-class heavy cruiser and three ''Carrack''-class cruisers, that together didn't mass half of Grievious' ship, ''attacked the ''Invisible Hand'', pushed it into position and '''damaged the engines so it couldn't escape''''', at the cost of the ''Dreadnought'' and one of the ''Carrack'', and when contact was lost with Obi-Wan and Anakin Needa, as the highest-ranking officer left in the strike group, went and [[DontMakeMeDestroyYou demanded Grievous' surrender on pain of death]]. Grievous obviously refused... And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qNKfKxvsUI we all know what Needa called in]].

-->''"[[CallBack So uncivilized.]]"''

* [[TheChosenOne Darth]] [[FallenHero Vader]] vs. [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Obi-]][[BigBrotherMentor Wan]] [[BigGood Kenobi]]

** Then when Anakin disarms Mace, the now "scarred and deformed" Palpatine kills Mace with another glorious torrent of lightning. While some find this moment extremely narmy, others defend it as one of Palpatine's best moments for his [[ChewingTheScenery devouring the scenery]] with such aplomb that it's hard not to let loose and root for him. All together now, you know the words:

'''Palpatine:''' ''Slowly stands, then pops his lightsaber out of his sleeve with a "shink!" sound, like he's revealing a shiv.'' [[PreasskickingOneliner It's treason, then]]. ''Ignites his lightsaber with care.''

** Kit Fisto gets points for trying against the most powerful sith lord of all time, blocking a few hits in the movie and in the Novel lasting long enough for Anakin to see Kit Fisto fighting Palpatine.

** The fact that Obi-Wan ''wins'' this fight is a huge moment of awesome for him, despite [[WeUsedToBeFriends what it means for the two of them.]] Obi-Wan fights the Chosen One, the most powerful Force user in the galaxy, and someone he's said before is stronger than he'll ever be, and ''wins''. It's true that Vader probably [[SanitySlippage isn't in the best state of mind]] to be fighting at full force, but it's still damn impressive.

* The Legends novelization gives one to no else but Lorth Needa (the Imperial captain from ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' that, after being fooled by Han, went to Darth Vader to take personal responsability for the failure so the Sith Lord would spare his crew from his wrath, [[YouHaveFailedMe knowing he'd die for it]]), by showing why the ''Invisible Hand'' was where it was when Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded it and why the ''Guarlara'' then went and shot it down: a strike group composed by a ''Dreadnought''-class heavy cruiser and three ''Carrack''-class cruisers, that together didn't mass half of Grievious' ship, ''attacked the ''Invisible Hand'', pushed it into position and '''damaged the engines so it couldn't escape''''', at the cost of the ''Dreadnought'' and one of the ''Carrack'', and when contact was lost with Obi-Wan and Anakin Needa, as the highest-ranking officer left in the strike group, went and [[DontMakeMeDestroyYou demanded Grievous' surrender on pain of death]]. Grievous obviously refused... And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvVyOcxAxQ we all know what Needa called in]].

* After Grievous brags that Count Dooku trained him in Jedi arts and reveals that he can split his limbs to wield four lightsabers, [[DeadpanSnarker Obi-Wan casually remarks that he trained the man who killed Dooku]] (Anakin).

** Then when Anakin disarms Mace, the now "scarred and deformed" Palpatine kills Mace with another glorious torrent of lightning. While some find this moment extremely narmy, others defend it as one of Palpatine's best moments for his [[ChewingTheScenery devouring the scenery]] with such aplomb that it's hard not to let loose and root for him. All together now:

* The Legends novelization gives one to no else but Lorth Needa (the Imperial captain from ''The Empire Strikes Back'' that, after being fooled by Han, went to Darth Vader to take personal responsability for the failure so the Sith Lord would spare his crew from his wrath, [[YouHaveFailedMe knowing he'd die for it]]), by showing why the ''Invisible Hand'' was where it was when Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded it and why the ''Guarlara'' then went and shot it down: a strike group composed by a ''Dreadnought''-class heavy cruiser and three ''Carrack''-class cruisers, that together didn't mass half of Grievious' ship, ''attacked the ''Invisible Hand'', pushed it into position and '''damaged the engines so it couldn't escape''''', at the cost of the ''Dreadnought'' and one of the ''Carrack'', and when contact was lost with Obi-Wan and Anakin Needa, as the highest-ranking officer left in the strike group, went and [[DontMakeMeDestroyYou demanded Grievous' surrender on pain of death]]. Grievous obviously refused... And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvVyOcxAxQ we all know what Needa called in]].

'''Palpatine:''' ''Slowly stands, then pops his darksaber out of his sleeve with a "shink!" sound, like he's revealing a shiv.'' [[PreasskickingOneliner It's treason, then]]. ''Ignites his darksaber with care.''

'''Mace:''' Not yet!

** Conversely, if you're rooting for the Sith side, consider this: Palpatine was at least able to go toe-to-toe against a Jedi Master with ''700 more years'' of experience than he did (and before, several Jedi Masters who's had the past 3 years to hone their skills in active combat duty), while spending most of his time working a day job as a politician, and balancing a dozen other schemes. Sidious was both the smartest and most badass person in any room, equal to Windu as a warrior, equal to Yoda as a mystic, and yet neither was his chief job. His chief job was making those fights happen in the first place - making it so that the Jedi came to him desperate, disgraced, flatfooted, off-balance, and then failing to eliminate him even in personal combat.

** Conversely, if you're rooting for the Sith side, consider this: Palpatine was at least able to go toe-to-toe against a Jedi Master with ''700 more years'' of experience than he did (and before, several Jedi Masters who's had the past 3 years to hone their skills in active combat duty), while spending most of his time working a day job as a politician, and balancing a dozen other schemes. Sidious was both the smartest and most badass person in the room, capable of masterminding countless events, manipulating people, and yet is absolutely no slouch in combat.

** Conversely, if you're rooting for the Sith side, consider this: Palpatine was at least able to go toe-to-toe against a Jedi Master with 700 more years of experience than he did (and before, several Jedi Masters who's had the past 3 years to hone their skills in active combat duty), while spending most of his time working a day job as a politician, and balancing a dozen other schemes. Sidious was both the smartest and most badass person in the room, capable of masterminding countless events, manipulating people, and yet is absolutely no slouch in combat.

** Them fighting on the Chancellor's Podium as it rises and brings them to the Galactic Senate Chamber alone is breathtaking. This place appears many times throughout the trilogy and now the BigGood and BigBad are fighting in it. Even though no one is in the room, it gives the sense that everyone is watching whether good or evil triumph.
** Palpatine is a man who is absolutely in control of everything around him. He never panics, always thinks about a dozen steps ahead and never acts intimidated or worried. And he is running scared for his life from someone he had taunted only moments ago. For the first time, he has met someone he cannot intimidate or bully, someone who will never be swayed by his words or fall under his spell. He has encountered someone who can destroy him and is damn sure going to try.
** The best part? Yoda actually ''wins'' the fight. He first makes Palpatine run for his life, later beats him in swordfighting and disarms him with much less struggle than Windu, and when Palpatine unloads all of his admittedly impressive Force powers, Yoda still stops them and deflects them back to him. If it is Yoda and not Sidious the one forced to retreat (although that was precisely what Sidious had been trying to do through all the fight) is due to the fortuitous factor that Sidious, with his bigger weight and longer arms, could avoid being blasted off their pod and injured by the fall, while the much lighter Yoda couldn't.

--> "If so powerful you are, why leave?"

-->'''Anakin''': I think we lost something.\\

* [[ActionFilmQuietDramaScene Palpatine's meeting with Anakin at the opera house]] is as creepy as it is awesome. The music already sets the intensity of the scene, but Ian [=McDiarmid=]'s acting adds to it with the "Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise". Perfect storytelling, and the little evil smirk he gives while recalling his master's death shows how creepy he is even before his face gets fried.

** Meta: That's actually Ewan [=McGregor=] and Hayden Christensen throughout most of the fight, not their stunt doubles, with both having trained in the choreography until they could do it together ''at full speed''.

* Look at the page image: Anakin, now Darth Vader, [[OdessaSteps marching up the steps of the Jedi Temple]], at the head of the 501st Legion, to kill some Jedi.