As a child of the prequel Star Wars trilogy, I’m no stranger to the plentiful memes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – but it wasn’t one of those scenes that drew laughter from my movie theater. Revenge of the Sith was the very first Star Wars movie I ever saw in theaters when I was just five years old, which made its re-release this year even more exciting for me. I was anticipating lots of eager quoting, but other reactions shocked me.

For example, I saw online prior to my own showing of Revenge of the Sith that some theaters were cheering during the Order 66 and younglings sequences, which… no offense (actually, all offense) if you did cheer at that, but that is absolutely not a cheer-worthy moment. This is an example of how the memes that have arisen from the prequel movies, most notably Revenge of the Sith, have unfortunately downplayed the heavy tragedy that this movie is.

There was, however, one harmless scene in particular that had my entire theater bursting into laughter – including myself. I really wasn’t expecting it, especially given some other more comedic elements in the movie, such as Anakin and Obi-Wan’s banter during the entire Battle of Coruscant opening sequence, but I just couldn’t help it when it happened. According to social media, my theater also wasn’t the only one that found this random moment so hilarious.

Obi-Wan Randomly Appearing On Padmé’s Ship Made My Whole Theater Laugh

Why Was He Posted Up Like That?

Let’s just say it: there was absolutely no reason for Obi-Wan to be posted up the way he was on Padmé Amidala’s ship on Mustafar. As the king of drama for sure, which was proven throughout the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, of course Obi-Wan chose to announce his secret presence on Padmé’s ship without a single word. Instead, he just stands in the open hatch, hands on his hips and his legs spread wide.

It’s the way it cuts to Obi-Wan that honestly makes it so hilarious. The serious tone of the conversation between Anakin and Padmé – which quickly becomes more serious again when Anakin Force chokes his own pregnant wife moments later – cutting to Obi-Wan standing there like a smug model is just downright hilarious, especially knowing that Obi-Wan really didn’t have to announce his presence like that. In fact, he really shouldn’t have; it made Padmé look guilty to Anakin.

My theater would get a few laughs throughout the movie, especially during the purposefully comedic moments, but this particular moment is the one that got the most resounding laughter. I can totally understand why, especially as someone who also laughed at it myself, but it was still totally unexpected. It’s like we all completely forgot how Obi-Wan looked in that moment, and the serious tension that had fallen over all of us as an audience was instantly dispelled by Obi-Wan serving some Jedi realness.

Revenge Of The Sith Can Be Funny, But It Also Should Be Taken More Seriously

It’s An Utterly Heartbreaking Tragedy

As I mentioned before, one of the greatest tragedies of Revenge of the Sith is that the memes that have come from it downplay the severity and impact of its story. Cheering for Order 66, despite how iconic that moment truly is, proves a fundamental misunderstanding of that scene altogether, especially for those who have seen The Clone Wars. Order 66 leads to the termination of thousands of people, carried out by clone troopers who were actively being mind-controlled against their will.

The same is true for a scene like Anakin facing down the younglings. Anakin killing the younglings has been a Star Wars joke for ages, which is partly owed to Obi-Wan actor Ewan McGregor himself having a hard time saying the line in Revenge of the Sith without laughing (hence why he covers his mouth right after he says it). In context, however, this is utterly horrifying. Anakin kills a group of children for the second time in his life, but this time, he’s about to be a father himself.

The Revenge of the Sith memes are legendary and beloved by all, but they ought not to take away from the gravity of the movie’s heavy storyline. Sure, a lot of it has to do with the clunkier dialogue, which can make it hard to appreciate Revenge of the Sith as the tragedy it really is, but the story deserves better than to be lost amongst some long-running internet jokes. I had no problem with my theater laughing at the Obi-Wan scene in Revenge of the Sith, but I’m glad we didn’t laugh at more serious moments.