Subject: So Pumped!!!!!!!
Author:
Posted on: 2015-04-17 01:02:00 UTC
Because I'm a huge nerd, I have to wonder, will the movie follow established 'verse-canon or will it replace the current canon or what? I'm pretty sure within the extended universe, Luke Skywalker dies before rebuilding the Jedi Order and actually teaches his great-great grandson (or something) as a ghost.
The second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is out.
Things to note:
--Somebody found Vader's burnt-up mask and took it... somewhere. It looks like it's on display.
--The lightsaber. That's Anakin's second saber-- the one originally carried by Luke that was lost in the Cloud City duel. It looks like Vader went back to find it.
--Sounds like Luke is taking on apprentices to rebuild the Jedi Order. Man, who saw that coming? :P
--Stormtrooper and TIE fighter redesigns. Looking spiffy!
--Stormtrooper guy from the first trailer is going to be one of our protags along with the girl.
--Scary person in black with a rifle. Kinda reminiscent of Vader but not: they're wearing black stormtrooper gear so they're obviously some kind of elite mook. They don't seem to be the same person as the cross guarded lightsaber guy: different helmets, see?
--Red lightsaber dude is seen with stormtroopers leading an attack on... something.
--HAN SOLO AND CHEWBACCA
Don't mess this up, J.J. Abrams. Don't mess it up.
Simply put, I am going to reserve judgment on this. The trailers look really good, but then again, trailers are supposed to get you to want to watch the movie. And they do this by taking the absolute best shots from the movie and put them all together in a compilation to the best music from the movie.
I may just be prejudiced against this movie because I love Star Wars. I even liked the prequel trilogy (don't judge me). The reason I liked the prequel, I guess, was because its content was touched upon by the original trilogy. It was following the rules. The new trilogy they're working on now is exploring entirely unexplored territory. There are so many ways that this could be screwed up.
Based on what I have seen in the trailers so far, here are the things I hope to see here.
- I hope to see Luke Skywalker going insane due to his exposure to the Force, which few Jedi have ever had before him, I guess. I mean, think of it! He has disappeared at this point, right? And he probably has the charred remains of Dad's helmet with him, so what if he is wandering the Galaxy somewhere, muttering to the mask and exploring both the light side and dark side of the Force in order to accomplish some delusional mission of revitalization of the Jedi Order.
- One of the new characters is a Storm trooper. I would love to see the perspective that this would open up. I mean, look at everything from the Empire's point of view. They defeated the Separatists during the Clone War, and suddenly the Jedi try to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor because they feared that they were losing control of the Republic. (Keep in mind, this is from their perspective.) Everything is secure and prosperous after that, except for a disorganized band of terrorists and anarchists. Suddenly, this group of disorganized rebels begin striking a decisive blow. They begin losing, and the Emperor goes over to watch them die out. Suddenly, he's dead, and the Imperial pride is broken, there are riots in the streets, and the terrorists have taken over. Now it's a fight for survival, and this calls for brutality and determination. One day, one such individual who thinks this way is suddenly saved by the very people who did these things, and he gets confused, but never truly goes over to their side. I think this plot device would be epic! But it has to be handled correctly. Be careful, J. J. Abrams. Be careful.
- This big bad guy with the bastard-sword lightsaber. First of all, what's up with the design? It's a bold move, like the double-bladed lightsaber was back in its own day. I would have to see its practical uses before I judge whether or not I like this new lightsaber. But what about its wielder? Who is he? What does he want? Does it have something to do with the new characters, or what they find? Who does he work for? Personally, I hope that some of these questions are left unanswered. After all, they're going for a trilogy here. But they have to leave the questions unanswered in a skilled way. There are right ways to do it, and wrong ways to do it. To do it wrong would be to make it too obvious.
- These new guys who look like storm troopers in black armor. Was one using a lightsaber? Like they did in George Lucas' original draft? These guys must be the certified bad***es here, right? I hope so, and I hope they don't rely on cheap tricks and stuff to kill people from the shadows or behind their backs, like cowards.
- The redesigns. I really do not care so much for the redesigns. I don't hate them, because they are still the iconic Star Wars stuff, but I don't really care how they redesign them that much.
- Also, I personally would like to see something here that makes the old rebellion (whoever they have become) morally blurry, like the Imperials. There's nothing more interesting than moral ambiguity in a story. It makes you ask questions and choose sides, strengthening your own sense of morality through the fires of adversity.
I'll agree that there were elements of the Prequels I liked, but I also hated parts. Jar Jar being one of those. Revenge was actually pretty good, and might be second favorite Star Wars film, second only to Empire.
On to the lightsaber. The biggest call of contention I think I have seen. I like it, if it works the way I think it does. I think that the sides are not blades. I look at them as more of an exhaust vent. If it works that way, I think it is brilliant. The whole motif of awakening throughout the trailers lead me to believe that mystery Sith may be a reawakened ancient Sith. And looking at the armor design, I get a real definite Darth Revan feel to him. Which I think would be incredibly cool. After all Revan is probably my three favorite characters from the EU.
Now the redesigns. I like them. They still keep the old feel of the originals, but look different, like things might after 30 years of conflict.
Other things I noticed. The voice over of Luke. "You have that power too", this tacked on at the end of his speech leads me to believe that whoever he is speaking too is a member of the Skywalker bloodline. Now I see really only one practical way to do that at this time, child of either Luke or Leia. Only Leia had anything that looked like a relationship at the end of the original series, so more than likely I would guess it is her child. And I think there is enough to support that Daisy Ridley's character is a Jaina Solo analogue. Not sure where you got the Stormtroopers using lightsabers from. The only lightsabers I saw were Luke's first/Anakin's and Kylo Ren (I think that's his name, the New Sith). I look at the black armored Stormtrooper is probably akin to elite special forces.
And finally Han's last comment is great. Heavily playing up the nostalgia factor. Also interesting that he refers to Vader in the present tense. I wonder if the ghost has a substantial role in the film.
Oh, Jar Jar was insufferable! That was obviously supposed to be the point, but instead if the old awkward-loser-turned-leader trope, he just stays annoying. It's that voice. That's what it is, it's that voice.
If those are exhaust things, then he may consider a special protective glove, or something. He could easily burn himself with that thing.
I think the design of the new villain was meant to be more reminiscent of Darth Vader. It could be Revan, though. I can see that. We'll see who he is. Or, maybe we won't. We'll see.
I have no problem with the redesigning. It does get me into the whole touchy feely protective mood that hates anything different, but not everything that is different is a bad thing, so just let them innovate, right? Nothing to see here, except new storm troopers, new space ships, new droids, and other stuff like that. But other than that, yeah, nothing to see here.
I'm going to reserve judgment for these new protagonists. I just can't get over the fact that they have a storm trooper, and I really don't want them to fail miserably with his character. He seems important, and he needs to be realistic, not just some random actor whose only qualification is that J. J. Abrams wanted to be Politically correct by including a black guy, like for a checklist or something. If he can portray his character, then he's golden. But hopefully they don't screw this movie up with political correctness, like they did with Noah, which seems to center on global warming. These characters need to be more than just some generic black guy and a strong feminist character in order for me to enjoy them. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having those elements in these characters. I just want them to be realistic in that they're not just stereotyped symbols of a political message.
I'm sorry, was I rambling? Didn't mean to. It happens sometimes.
I saw the black armored storm trooper wielding a lightsaber in one of the trailers. I forget which one, and come to think of it, it may have been fake. But I'll keep an eye out for it.
Yeah, and I don't think Han will have to worry much about crashing the ship, based on his most recent crash, am I right?... Too soon? Sorry. Point being, he gets to work with his baby again, that's great. Hopefully it got outfitted with new equipment that he has no idea what to do with. Imagine the comedy gold that would throw out.
That's the thing about Vader, though. Was the voice real? Or was it all in Luke's head. He's been talking to ghosts before, and talking to too many ghosts can be unhealthy.
What?... Oh hi, Grandma... I'm talking to people on the Internet... Star Wars... Number seven... Yeah, okay, I'll be right there...
Sorry, just talking to a ghost. Lol
...and red lightsaber guy are two different people: look at their helmets.
I'm sure I saw a storm trooper with a lightsaber in one of the trailers. It may have been fake, though. I'm going to try and find it, just to be sure.
Sorry about the errors. I didn't notice them until it was too late, and my spellcheck program didn't pick them up.
If it turns out to be bad, I will lose it. Literally.
It was Super-effective!
Because I'm a huge nerd, I have to wonder, will the movie follow established 'verse-canon or will it replace the current canon or what? I'm pretty sure within the extended universe, Luke Skywalker dies before rebuilding the Jedi Order and actually teaches his great-great grandson (or something) as a ghost.
...that the EU will be relegated to this weird AU-but-not-quite status. The new movies will now dictate official canon but will integrate some EU aspects. Here's the official statement by Lucasfilm:
"In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe. While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in role-playing game material published in the 1980s.
Demand for past tales of the Expanded Universe will keep them in print, presented under the new “Legends” banner."
Very interesting. I'm excited to see where this is going.
That this trailer basically confirms what I have always expected. Daisy Ridley's Character is Jaina Solo. We will see, but that's what I think.
Yeah, same sentiment: Don't screw this up, JJ.
That said, new Stormtrooper helmets look butt-ugly IMO.
Apparently there will be some footage from the new Star Wars Battlefront!
I remember the original Battlefront. I had it for Xbox. Then my Xbox ate the disk, and it fell behind the disk tray. I finally got it out, and it was scratched beyond repair. Rambling stories aside, I'm pumped for the next battlefront game, and the release of the next movie. I hear they'll be released at the same time.
*Checks Google*
Hey, DICE is going to be developing the game. You guys ever played the Battlefield games? You're in for a treat, then: DICE did some good work with BF:BC and BF4. The game is in safe hands.