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The Rewatchables ·

Star Wars: A New Hope

year 1977decade 70sdirector George Lucasgenre Science fiction
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyhost Van Lathan format Part Two
All 34 categories

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award · 21:27

Chewbacca is the most overrated sidekick (disputed)

Bill Simmons: An early take labels Chewbacca the most overrated sidekick because his size makes him conspicuous and his speech is unintelligible to almost everyone.

The rebuttal credits Chewbacca as a co-pilot, mechanic, expert shot, and source of physical strength.

The film

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Directed by George Lucas · Science fiction

121 minutes

IMDb Find on JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

46:47

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Han Solo’s rejection of an all-powerful Force

Han Solo’s rejection of an all-powerful Force

Flex pick · Chris Ryan

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:47Read transcript
  • The selected line says the speaker has crossed the galaxy without seeing proof that a mystical field controls destiny. — Chris Ryan
  • The quotation was used as a senior yearbook quote at a Quaker school.
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1:01:11

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

An accidental Luke–Leia sexual relationship; Han mistreats Luke; Star Wars is great art and a damaging industrial pre...

An accidental Luke–Leia sexual relationship; Han mistreats Luke; Star Wars is great art and a damaging industrial precedent

Flex pick · Van Lathan

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:11Read transcript
  • The trilogy is said to become darker and better if Luke and Leia unknowingly have sex before learning they are siblings.
  • The imagined guilt is argued to give Luke a stronger pull toward the dark side. — Van Lathan
  • Star Wars is called both one of the best films ever and one of the worst things to happen to Hollywood because of its industrial influence.
  • Han is called a cock-blocking dickhead who pursues Leia and tells Luke not to get cocky after Luke's success. — Chris Ryan
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1:15:55

Apex Mountain

Science-fiction movies, galaxy adventures, fictional mythology, Mark Hamill, 20th Century Fox, and Apex categories: yes

Science-fiction movies, galaxy adventures, fictional mythology, Mark Hamill, 20th Century Fox, and Apex categories: yes

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:55Read transcript
  • Lucas’s apex is placed around 1981 after Empire and Raiders, though selling Lucasfilm for four billion dollars is another candidate.
  • Star Wars is judged an apex for science-fiction movies, galaxy adventures, and film-created fictional mythology.
  • The movie is accepted as Mark Hamill’s apex and a possible early apex for Carrie Fisher. — Bill Simmons
  • John Williams is difficult to pin to one apex, but Star Wars is preferred over later cultural competitors.
  • James Earl Jones is placed closer to Field of Dreams, Coming to America, or Mufasa than to his uncredited Vader voice. — Bill Simmons
  • Harrison Ford receives an explicit apex check and is rejected because his apex had already been named earlier. — Bill Simmons
  • The movie is an apex for 20th Century Fox because profits and stock value rose sharply. — Bill Simmons
  • The film is credited with beginning the cultural ascent of nerd fandom rather than representing its final apex in 1977. — Sean Fennessey
  • Its sound effects remain exceptional, including Vader breathing, TIE fighters, droids, and lightsabers.
  • The saga is called a leading story of absentee fathers because Vader reappears only after Luke becomes powerful. — Van Lathan
  • The film is declared the apex of Apex Mountain categories because so many people, crafts, objects, and institutions peak around it. — Chris Ryan
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1:36:22

George Ellerby “Two Weeks with Pay” Award for Character Who Should Have Been Fired

Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Tarkin

Flex pick · Sean Fennessey

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:22Read transcript
  • Tarkin continues the mission after learning the enemy knows a catastrophic design weakness. — Sean Fennessey
  • His choice is compared with a 28–3 halftime collapse and called a nightmare.
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1:36:22

The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

The Empire’s reliance on the Death Star

The Empire’s reliance on the Death Star

Flex pick · Sean Fennessey

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:22Read transcript
  • The Death Star is challenged as an expensive and energy-intensive way to govern.
  • Grand Admiral Thrawn’s alternative plan for advanced fighters is presented as a better use of imperial resources. — Van Lathan
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