Yeah, I've noticed that Albus doesn't like to do the hard work himself; but doing things by proxy always runs the risk of things happening that you don't expect or want to have happen (sentient "tools" simply don't necessarily react as you want). I consider ANH, ESB, and RoTJ to be the true SW movies firmly in the "space opera" genre as Lucas stated when the first movie was originally announced at the 1976 World SF Convention in Kansas City (yes, I was there in the front row, though my attendence at that Worldcon was very much for other reasons) while the "first three" strike me as Lucas' attempt at "serious sf" and somewhat off because of that.
In any case, I'm looking forward to the next chapter with Harry's return and a most "interesting" confrontation with Dumbles and, likely, at least some of the Order. Methinks the results are going to give a lot of folk to think about a lot of things.
Author's response
Our thoughts with regard to Lord 'Manipulatus' run in parallel lines.
Again, I agree. Episodes 4-6 were a good ol' fashioned, shoot-em-up romp. The bad guy is killed and the good guy would have got the girl if Lucas hadn't sprung that little last minute snag.
I fondly remember my first SF convention, back at Popejoy Hall near Albuquerque. I was a die hard Star Trek, & Lost in Space fan.
My primary disagreement with 'Episodes 1,2&3, is in that he had to go and turn it into a half-assed romance. Natalie Portman was an exceptional actor until those three movies(I make no distinction between sexes. If you're an actor, you're an actor. If you're a naval aviator, you're a naval aviator. If you're Tom Cruise, you're neither one.) , and then she turned into a wooden puppet. le sigh!
Harry's return will spark some changes, and Dumbledore is only one of those who will have quite a shock coming...eventually.
Alorkin