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Who knew we were so attached to the Ewoks?
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00:00The Star Wars saga now spans three trilogies, several side movies, a handful of TV shows and dozens, if not hundreds, of novels and books.
00:09That's not to mention all the comic books and video games that have added their own depth to the universe.
00:13We've had every kind of tale in Star Wars by this point.
00:16The comedy, the romance, the action-adventure, even a zombie story.
00:19Yes, you heard that right.
00:20But if there's one theme that exists throughout all, it's tragedy.
00:24Betrayals, heartbreak, death and destruction are just common occurrences when you're dealing with powerful space wizards duking it out in a struggle of good versus evil.
00:32Needless to say, Star Wars has been filled with traumatic events.
00:36Time and again, we've seen our characters go through ordeals or witness things that would turn anyone into a quivering wreck.
00:41And as an audience, we've been left with our own scars.
00:45Due to the extensive nature of the Star Wars universe, we've narrowed this down just to events that have happened in the movies.
00:50Be warned, you're about to be triggered.
00:52I'm Cy for WhatCulture.com and these are the 10 most traumatic events in Star Wars.
00:58Number 10, the death of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen.
01:01Many of the most tragic events in Star Wars were catalysts for significant events happening further down the line.
01:06The murder of Luke's guardians led to his decision to leave Tatooine, the destruction of the Death Star and the eventual overthrow of the Empire.
01:14It's true that Luke wanted to join the Rebel Alliance before his family's death, but the event triggered an early departure, leading him into the path of Han and Chewie.
01:22Meeting the smuggling duo in Mos Eisley was so integral to the story that half the offence to follow wouldn't have happened otherwise.
01:29For one, Leia wouldn't have been saved, leaving the Rebellion without its greatest leader.
01:33The death of Luke's Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen was certainly traumatic for the character, but it kind of got glossed over.
01:39Luke looks sad for a moment, but then John Williams comes in with his stirring Heroes theme, reminding the audience that everything would work out.
01:46What's more, Luke never grieves for his aunt and uncle, or even mentions them ever again.
01:52This guy had a weird way of processing trauma.
01:54Number 9, Romba trying to wake Nanta.
01:57Star Wars and irritating alien species go together like scum and villainy.
02:01In the prequels, fans had to sit through the ordeal that was Jar Jar Binks,
02:04but long before Porgs were even a blip on Disney's cash-grabbing radar, Ewoks were introduced into the Star Wars universe.
02:11They were essentially child-sized teddy bears who liked playing Tarzan and had a thing for cooking and eating humans alive.
02:17Yep, don't forget originally they were going to eat Luke and Company.
02:20No matter how you felt about them, the Ewoks played an important role in the final installment of the original trilogy.
02:26Untold, numbers of them died fighting alongside the rebels during the Battle of Endor.
02:30It was the death of one in particular that really hit home, though.
02:33When two Ewok warriors are sent flying from a blaster impact,
02:37one desperately tries to wake the other, only to realise his companion is dead.
02:41What makes things worse is that the Rebel Alliance totally manipulated these guys into going to war for them.
02:46The only reason the Ewoks got on side is because they thought C-3PO was a god.
02:50When you realise these guys only died in the name of religious fantasism, it becomes a little more troubling.
02:56Number 8, the destruction of Alderaan.
02:58The Empire did some pretty reprehensible shit, but committing planetary genocide was top of the list.
03:04Not only did they kill every last sentient being living on Alderaan,
03:07but they completely incinerated all of fauna and flora,
03:10leaving nothing but hunks of rock floating through space.
03:13Being environmentally conscious wasn't on the Empire's agenda for one second.
03:17Roughly two billion people died in the explosion, including Leia's adoptive parents.
03:21The instant deaths of so many caused such a disturbance
03:24that force-sensitive beings like Obi-Wan were physically shaken.
03:27Moff Tarkin, the foul, stinking commander of the Death Star, gave the order.
03:32He believed ruling through fear was the only way to dominate a populace.
03:36If you could inflict mass trauma to such degree that people were cowered into submission,
03:40then you were one step closer to ruling the galaxy.
03:43He ordered all the Imperial personnel aboard the Death Star to watch the destruction of Alderaan
03:47to remind them of the Empire's power.
03:49This had the effect of dissuading those who had been thinking of joining the Rebellion from doing so.
03:54Number seven, the loss of Rogue One.
03:57Rogue One was the darkest Star Wars movie we've ever seen.
04:01Sure, there was the wisecracking ex-imperial droid K-2SO,
04:04but the overall tone was pretty sinister.
04:07It was the first time the Rebel Alliance, and its offshoots,
04:10weren't painted merely as heroic freedom fighters.
04:12It was implied that Saw Gerrera's partisans weren't above committing terrorist-like activities
04:17to achieve their ends.
04:18Even Cassian Andor, the Alliance spy,
04:21had done some fairly nefarious stuff in his fight against Palpatine's regime.
04:25We saw him kill the Alliance informant Tivik
04:28when he feared he might be captured by the Stormtroopers.
04:31Yep, it's a much darker and much more nuanced side of Star Wars.
04:35Despite seeing the protagonists get up to some questionable behaviour,
04:38we still sympathise with their struggle.
04:40Their fight against the Empire was justified,
04:42and the fact they were willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice for their cause
04:45made them tragic heroes.
04:47As Rogue One battled to retrieve the Death Star plans,
04:50it was clear they'd taken on a mission they would never return from.
04:53One by one, we saw them go down in a blaze of glory,
04:56until the last moment when Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor
04:59were engulfed in the fiery blasts from the Death Star.
05:02Number six, the death of Shmi Skywalker.
05:05How old you were when the prequels came out
05:07will have affected your Star Wars experience.
05:09For some, these movies might have been their first introduction
05:12to the Skywalker saga.
05:13If that was the case, then the fall of Anakin to the dark side
05:16would have played out like an unexpected tragedy.
05:18For those that already knew the fate of Anakin,
05:20they watched these movies with a bitter helplessness.
05:23We knew all too well what was in store for young Skywalker.
05:26He would succumb to fear, hate, anger, and finally suffering,
05:30ultimately leading him to the dark side
05:32and adopting the alias of Darth Vader.
05:35But regardless of how you watched this play out,
05:37it was a traumatic experience,
05:39not just for Anakin, but for the viewer.
05:40Either this was like watching your shining hero unexpectedly fall from grace,
05:44or it was akin to watching a train wreck play out before your eyes.
05:48Fans wondered what might trigger Anakin
05:50into taking his final step on the road to the dark side.
05:53When we saw Shmi near death
05:54after being bound and tortured by the Sand People,
05:57we knew this was the moment.
06:00Number five, Anakin underestimating the high ground.
06:03Despite the criticism thrown at the prequels,
06:05they still had many redeemable features.
06:08Not least, Ewan McGregor in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
06:11McGregor adopted the cadence and nuances of Alec Guinness
06:14just enough to make fans appreciate the effort
06:16while still making the character his own.
06:18Although this was the story of Anakin,
06:20we sympathize with Obi-Wan just as much,
06:22if not more.
06:23He watched his child pupil become the greatest Jedi in the galaxy,
06:27before rapidly descending into darkness.
06:29It was McGregor's acting chops
06:31and the rare bit of good dialogue
06:33that made his showdown with Anakin so impactful.
06:36Watching the duel in Revenge of the Sith
06:38was equal parts exhilarating and heartbreaking.
06:40The lightsaber battle was one of the best put to screen,
06:43but it signified the end of the Jedi Order.
06:45We watched as Obi-Wan maimed his old friend,
06:48even as he espoused his love for him.
06:50Kenobi's anguish at watching his brother
06:52consumed by hatred and flame
06:53was almost too much to witness.
06:56Number four, Order 66.
06:58By the time of the Clone Wars,
07:00the Jedi Order was rampant with hypocrisy
07:01and narrow-minded conservatism.
07:04Even so, seeing them systematically executed
07:06during Order 66 was a turf pill to swallow.
07:10In the days of the Empire,
07:11the Jedi had drifted into myth and legend,
07:13and the original trilogy only hinted
07:15at their previous power and prowess.
07:17With the prequels,
07:18we got to see them at the height of their pomp.
07:20We knew that ultimately these films
07:22were leading to the downfall of the Republic
07:24and the rise of the Empire.
07:26For that to happen,
07:26it was inevitable
07:27that the Jedi would come to a tragic end.
07:30When the moment finally came, though,
07:32no amount of foreknowledge
07:33could have prepared us.
07:34Watching Jedi Masters
07:36with names that I can't pronounce,
07:37like Ki-Adi-Mundi,
07:39Aayla Secura,
07:40and Plo-Kloon,
07:41gunned down by the very clones
07:42they had led into battle,
07:44was a kick to the stomach.
07:45What's more,
07:46we saw the execution of Padawans
07:48and younglings
07:49as a legion of clones
07:50enveloped the Jedi Temple.
07:52Number three,
07:53the death of Qui-Gon Jinn.
07:55Qui-Gon Jinn was rare
07:56in that he was one of the few
07:57true Jedi
07:58in the entire Star Wars saga.
08:00He had an unorthodox way
08:01of doing things,
08:02often disagreeing
08:03with the Jedi Council
08:04and following his own instincts.
08:06He was aware
08:07that their dogmatic approach
08:08was causing many
08:09to lose a true connection
08:10with the Force.
08:11He was humble,
08:12confident,
08:13without arrogance,
08:14and wise enough
08:15to see Anakin
08:15as the chosen one.
08:17Liam Neeson portrayed him
08:18as a protective
08:19and caring parental figure
08:20to both Obi-Wan
08:21and Anakin.
08:22He was an instant
08:23fan favourite
08:24but of course
08:25he got killed off.
08:27Although the Phantom Menace
08:28had its issues,
08:29the death of Qui-Gon
08:29was one of the most
08:30emotional scenes
08:31in the entire saga.
08:33This was a moment
08:33that shaped the young
08:34Obi-Wan's future.
08:35The dying wish of his master
08:36was for Anakin to be trained,
08:38a promise Obi-Wan
08:39tried to keep
08:40due to his devotion
08:41to Qui-Gon
08:41but felt haunted by
08:43when Anakin turned to evil.
08:45This death no doubt
08:46had a marked effect
08:47on the young
08:47Anakin Skywalker also.
08:49He'd already gone
08:50through the trauma
08:50of leaving his mother
08:51to her enslavement
08:53and now his only
08:53other parental figure
08:54was dead.
08:56Number 2
08:56The Youngling Massacre
08:58By the time episode 3
08:59came to a close
09:00it was clear
09:01there was no hope
09:01of saving Anakin Skywalker
09:03from his fate.
09:04Up until this point
09:05his past misdeeds
09:06could at least be explained.
09:08His slaughter of the Tusken Raiders
09:09was a reaction
09:10to the torture
09:11and death of his mother.
09:12Even relieving Mace Windu
09:13of his hand
09:14and causing his death
09:15was out of yearning
09:16to save Padme
09:16and it was clear
09:17he regretted the move.
09:19When it came to killing
09:20helpless younglings however
09:21there was no longer
09:22any human emotion
09:23driving Anakin's actions.
09:25He was merely following
09:26the will of the dark side.
09:28They were helpless children
09:29who asked for protection
09:30and for a brief moment
09:31it looked as though
09:32he might help them escape
09:33until his lightsaber ignited.
09:36They were doomed to death
09:37and Anakin was doomed
09:38to darkness.
09:39By this point
09:40we'd already watched
09:41the clones gun down
09:42their Jedi commanders
09:43Mace Windu
09:44had been brutally killed
09:45and Anakin had sworn
09:46allegiance to Palpatine.
09:47How could it get worse?
09:49Child massacre.
09:51Number one
09:51Luke drinking green milk.
09:54With all the atrocities
09:55committed by the Empire
09:56and the Sith
09:56including the killing
09:57of innocent children
09:58and the destructions
09:59of entire planets
10:00nothing was as traumatic
10:02as seeing the one time
10:03hope for the galaxy
10:04milk an alien sea cow
10:06and chug down
10:07on its bodily fluids.
10:09It's fair to say
10:09the final trilogy
10:10did the dirty
10:11when it came to Luke's
10:12character arc.
10:13Once the most loved
10:13figure of the movies
10:14he became a bitter old man
10:16who resembled little
10:17of the character
10:18we once knew.
10:19What Rian Johnson
10:20did to Luke
10:21was as egregious
10:21as what David Benioff
10:23and D.B. Weiss
10:23did to the entire
10:24Game of Thrones cast.
10:26The notion of
10:27subverting expectations
10:28was taken for a ride
10:29with this one.
10:30Seeing this character
10:31destroyed will leave
10:32a mark on long time
10:33Star Wars fans
10:34for years to come
10:35and the true severity
10:36of such trauma
10:37has not yet been
10:38fully realised.
10:39Luke's unsatisfactory
10:40death aside though
10:41this scene alone
10:42would have been troubling
10:43regardless of how
10:44the story played out.
10:46Everyone from Rey
10:47to the audience
10:47and even Mark Hamill
10:48himself was blindsided
10:50and confused by this.
10:51We know Luke loved
10:52his blue milk
10:53back on his homeworld
10:54of Tatooine
10:55but this just seemed
10:56perverse.
10:57What did you think
10:57of this list?
10:58Let us know in the
10:59comments below
10:59which Star Wars moment
11:01made you babble
11:02like a child the most.
11:03I've been Cy
11:04for WhatCulture
11:04and have a good week.
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