This episode was epic. The tension-building was incredible, the action scenes were epic, and the writing, directing, and acting remain the best SW has ever had.
I'm going to focus on one important detail that I don't think any star wars media has ever done as well as this episode does. The episode makes a point to introduce us to the base commander's family. They show the son is sick, the wife just wants to get off this backwater rock, and the commander is clearly doing what he can to try to move up the chain to a better posting. Later, in the heist itself, the commander appears to suffer a heart attack due to the stress and work.
This is a degree of sympathy for 'the bad guy' that I've never seen in Star Wars before. It is a clear message that the imperials are made up of people 'just following orders'. They are people, not automatons. Like a lot of Germans in WW2, they are people who are trying to make the best out of a bad situation, and doing bad things in order to make their own way.
This is a really important and mature turn for Star Wars. It is a step away from the cartoonish 'evil empire'. Yes- the emperor and vader are clearly evil, as are many imperials, but a lot of imperials are just taking a paycheck. That doesn't make them good, and nor should we be rooting for them, but they are people, and this is the first show to really acknowledge that, as opposed to a horde of faceless stormtroopers.
Bravo to this production team.
I'm going to focus on one important detail that I don't think any star wars media has ever done as well as this episode does. The episode makes a point to introduce us to the base commander's family. They show the son is sick, the wife just wants to get off this backwater rock, and the commander is clearly doing what he can to try to move up the chain to a better posting. Later, in the heist itself, the commander appears to suffer a heart attack due to the stress and work.
This is a degree of sympathy for 'the bad guy' that I've never seen in Star Wars before. It is a clear message that the imperials are made up of people 'just following orders'. They are people, not automatons. Like a lot of Germans in WW2, they are people who are trying to make the best out of a bad situation, and doing bad things in order to make their own way.
This is a really important and mature turn for Star Wars. It is a step away from the cartoonish 'evil empire'. Yes- the emperor and vader are clearly evil, as are many imperials, but a lot of imperials are just taking a paycheck. That doesn't make them good, and nor should we be rooting for them, but they are people, and this is the first show to really acknowledge that, as opposed to a horde of faceless stormtroopers.
Bravo to this production team.