It was a totally fine episode. It just didn't progress the plot at all, and in a show with 10 episodes per season that sucks dick.
Totally agree. I had the same thought process. Towards the end of R1 I realized that I didn't know any of the characters and that they must not make it to the next movie (SW4). And then they all started dying. I felt a lot of the movie was weak, and I had trouble loving really any of the characters, but when I realized it was all an insane suicide mission and that they *all* fell, it really made the movie for me and let me appreciate an otherwise ok, but somewhat weak, movie. And then they gave us the most amazing Darth Vader scene, which, honestly, is the best 90 seconds in all of the Star Wars movies. Fucking Vader showing up in the dark, hearing his breathing, the light saber lights, then he just lays waste to rooms full of knuckleheads. They are fucking terrified. I love re-watching that scene over and over.
Everyone says that scene is fan service... it is, but, we have all heard that Darth Vader is the biggest badass that ever existed since 1977, but have never seen it. The original trilogy fight scenes are horrible. This shows us just a glimpse of how fucking badass he is. It's amazing. He just straight up fucking murders like two dozen little faggots.