45 replies to this topic

[Selena]

I'm sure everyone's seen the newest trailer, but they also did a photoshoot of some of the big characters:

 

http://imgur.com/gallery/8x8Dn

 

 

 

Lupita Nyong'o's character is going to be heavily enhanced by CGI, obviously. She is apparently playing a space pirate. And Gwendoline Christie's character has finally been revealed -- she's playing that badass chrome stormtrooper, who is apparently an elite officer.

 

The bad guys are part of some organization called the First Order, and there's apparently an opposing group called "the Resistance."

 

 

Well, the plot still seems ???? so far, but at least the ladies seem cool!

[TheAvengerLever]

I know I'm going to enjoy the heckle'n'jeckle out of these movies, but it's quite annoying that J.J. is sticking to the aesthetic of the original trilogy and not defining his own style in this new era of Star Wars. I mean, give the people what they want, but, I thought it would've been cool if each era of Star Wars had its own feel to it.

 

Who knows, the movie isn't even out yet. It just seems like with the First Order and The Resistance its just a way to rehash the original films.

 

Having said that, each time I see a new photo or watch a trailer I excitedly poop a little bit. Though the Rebels Season 2 trailer got me more excited than the second teaser for the Force Awakens.

[SteveT]

How is Rebels?  I'm currently going through Clone Wars (a few episodes into Season 3), and it started off weak, but has been generally rising in quality.  Is Rebels the culmination of that trend?

[Delphi]

I'm trying not to get too excited. My twelve year old self is reminding me what happened last time I got exicited about new Star Wars movies. My eighteen year old self is reminding me how apathetic I was about RotS by the end of it.

My present day self is setting up a win-win situation.

I'm setting my standards low. If I set them low enough ("At least otst better than Episode Ii's love scenes") then I'll enjoy if it sucks. If it's knock your socks off good, then I can wildly fan girl about by having my expectations blown away like Alderaan (Too soon?).

[TheAvengerLever]

How is Rebels?  I'm currently going through Clone Wars (a few episodes into Season 3), and it started off weak, but has been generally rising in quality.  Is Rebels the culmination of that trend?

Rebels is a bit different storytelling-wise than The Clone Wars. Instead of having a lot of smaller arcs that make up a season, the whole season is one big long story. And while the beginning half of the season is very kid friendly, by the last episode it goes to a deeper, darker place. The creators said once that season one of Rebels is supposed to ha e the same feel of A New Hope, and having watched the whole thing I can confirm that that is the case.

I love Rebels. I think they did a good job with this first season, so I am really excited about the second season. Pretty sure they are still streaming the entire season on star wars.com

Also, about Clone Wars. The first half of the show (the first two and a half seasons) is definitely expository, and if you watch in chronological order once you get to the latter half of the show all the stuff that is set up from the first couple of seasons definitely pays off. It is a very rewarding experience, IMO.

Edited by TheAvengerLever, 05 May 2015 - 10:55 AM.

[Veteran]

Clone Wars starts slowly and then becomes amazingly good. It looks like Rebels is on course to do the same!

I'm getting more and more optimistic about this new wave of Star Wars since the low of the cross-guard saber. Roll on Christmas.

[DarkJuno]

Clone Wars was never bad, but yeah, it starts off pretty slow as a standard kids action show that could push the boundaries more freely then others while secretly world building and planting the seeds of the characters in the show. It picks up and while it does get a little too "cute" with the uncomfortable call forwards to what'll inevitably occur in the future, but it does well and it makes Anakin way more sympathetic then the prequels ever did. Rebels seems to be going about it a different way, but I'm digging it and appreciating how it's picking up a couple threads from Clone Wars while staying its own show.

I am cautiously optimistic about Force Awakens. Unlike a lot of people, I didn't really grow up with the original trilogy. I'm certain I saw them when I was little, but I didn't watch them and remember the first one until middle school on a lazy Sunday afternoon when the syndicated station aired the Special Edition version, and then never saw Empire or Jedi 'till Attack of the Clones came out and they showed Episode I and the Original Trilogy in the week leading up to it. So....I never saw anything other then the Special Edition versions of anything, and other then that weird cg singing bit in Jabba's Palace never cared about anything they changed, at best thinking they didn't really do anything. Prequels.....yeah, first one was bad, second one had very very, very few good bits but was still mostly bad, and the third I actually liked, though it was just okay.

It's just a trailer, but so far this one looks promising, for what little they've shown.

[TheAvengerLever]

Hey now, that new saber is awesome.

[SteveT]

Glad to hear the impressions of Clone Wars.
 
I'm currently a few episodes into Season 3, and I feel like the quality dropped off hard after Season Two ended.  Season One's main problem was that it started off as a kid's show and very slowly adopted an all-ages approach.  Season Two seemed to show a lot of potential.  Season Three so far is jam packed with everything everyone loves most about Star Wars: trade disputes, blockades, Senate speeches, Padme, and making sure those Jedi stay in the background where they belong.
 
Seriously, I just watched an episode about Padme investigating a smuggling ring that was accidentally poisoning school children.  Why was this episode made?

Edited by SteveT, 06 May 2015 - 11:25 AM.

[TheAvengerLever]

Glad to hear the impressions of Clone Wars.
 
I'm currently a few episodes into Season 3, and I feel like the quality dropped off hard after Season Two ended.  Season One's main problem was that it started off as a kid's show and very slowly adopted an all-ages approach.  Season Two seemed to show a lot of potential.  Season Three so far is jam packed with everything everyone loves most about Star Wars: trade disputes, blockades, Senate speeches, Padme, and making sure those Jedi stay in the background where they belong.
 
Seriously, I just watched an episode about Padme investigating a smuggling ring that was accidentally poisoning school children.  Why was this episode made?

Don't worry, the first half of season three is a lot of political stuff. The latter half of this season picks the high back up and it doesn't stop until the show ends.

When the episodes are in chronological order these particular political episodes are spread out a little more since some of these take place back in season 1. The mid season split in season 3 is also when the show started actually being released in chronological order, and also when the show starts to crescendo towards its climax.

Edited by TheAvengerLever, 06 May 2015 - 12:21 PM.

[Veteran]

I've succumbed to the hype. I'm aboard the hype train, destination - HYPE. *foams at mouth*

[JRPomazon]

I don't mind waiting to see this one. Frankly, this franchise has burned me to the point where I can't sit down and enjoy the originals anymore. I'll go with some friends if and when the time comes.

[Selena]

I won't go opening night and wait for reviews the next day, purely because of lessons learned with the prequels. I can't help but be excited, though. It looks really good. I think Abrams is way more suited to Star Wars than Star Trek, style-wise.

 

I know a lot of people are upset that they aren't following the EU canon, but let's be honest -- EU canon is a giant monster that's now gotten so complex it'd be hard to transfer properly. I'm eager to see where they're taking the story now. 

 

The First Order / Resistance conflict seems a bit confusing, though. The existence of the First Order makes sense, but surely the Rebels would have properly established the New Republic by then, even if it wasn't as large as the Old Republic or the Empire. Calling them the Resistance makes it sound like they're still in a state of rebellion after all this time, despite the Empire being pretty well trounced. Between the deaths of Vader, Palpatine, and the budget deficit that surely must have resulted from building multiple Death Stars...

[Delphi]

Still refuse to get excited! And I am now convinced old guard character deaths are immanent.

Regarding the EU it's being called the Legends continuity and is considered more of an alternate timeline now. I can deal with that.





...still would have liked Mara Jade in the new movies.

[Egann]

I will almost certainly not see it until well after launch, and to be honest I'm more looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

 

Let me say this: aside from Empire, all of the movies range from good to OK. But as a nerd, my favorite memories are thoroughly attached to the games and the few EU books which I did read. Into Darkness convinced me that Abrams has zero ambition beyond making good popcorn flicks. I mean, seriously. You redid Wrath of Khan like that?!

 

So if I had to describe why I'm dreading the next movie...I'd say it's because I'm sure it will be exactly like Trek (2009): a decent, but unremarkable movie which doesn't come anywhere close to justifying the reboot (or in this case, de-canonizing the EU.) The blunt reason the studio execs wanted to reboot these franchises is that they found keeping up with the lore tiresome and wanted to wipe it down to simple stuff. I understand, but if that's your general attitude, you don't love the source material, you will not be able to make great movies when you think of it as a cash-cow, and you should end the franchise on a high note rather than milking it into the irrelevance of Hermaeus Mora's oblivion.

[TheAvengerLever]

As someone who grew up with the EU, I couldn't be more excited that its gone. At least 90% of it was bunk. Waru? The Jedi Prince series? Darksaber? Things got a little more interesting with the New Jedi Order series but then that was quickly ruined by Legacy of the Force and evil Jacen Solo.

 

Ironically, my favorite Star Wars EU stories are those that not a whole lot of people liked. Dark Empire and Shadows of the Empire tie for my all time favorite Star Wars thing, and SOTE is consistently my favorite Star Wars soundtrack to listen to (SOTE and ROTJ switch from time to time, however). I love Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight and ONLY Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. I wasn't a huge fan of Outcast or Academy and certainly not a huge fan of the first Dark Forces. And I'm head over heels for The Force Unleashed, but only the first one.

 

I'm very glad of the direction the future novel/comic tie-ins are headed. Its good to have a Story Group dedicated to the small details. It'll make these newer novels and comics and games far easier to meld together into one meta-story. And I think the Story Group has proven their mettle so far with all the new stuff that's been published (besides Aftermath, I hear. I haven't quite read it yet.)

 

I'm currently re-watching The Clone Wars in-between catching the new episodes of Rebels. It's keeping my spirits high for the new Star Wars releases until Battlefront comes out, and that will satiate my desire for more Star Wars until the new movie. TCW and Rebels should always keep me occupied in the future when it comes to Star Wars, because I don't want to watch the films all that often. It makes them feel really special on re-watch after you haven't seen them in a while. And I try to do a Clone Wars run through each year as well, so that's fun.

 

Star Wars excitement rant over.

[Selena]

Dark Forces II was surprisingly fantastic. It was easily one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Makes me wish they could have released something similar for one of the Wii consoles, with Metroid Prime-style controls. 

 

I remember loving Shadows of the Empire. JET PACKS. The swoop bike mission was really fun, too. I remember liking the book, though my memories of that aren't quite as solid. It's been a while. 

[SteveT]

Shadows of the Empire had some great vehicle sections.  I love the swoop bike, Hoth, and all the space battles.  The on foot stuff was less captivating, however, which is ok because that's probably how Rogue Squadron came to be.

 

I really liked DFII.  My only complaint is that it took so long to get the friggin lightsaber.  It really kills the replay value to have to wait so long to actually be a jedi.  That conceit ruined Jedi Outcast for me, and I was happy that Jedi Academy broke that trend.

[TheAvengerLever]

Aw, I loved the on foot missions. Gall Spaceport is so big and tough to navigate and you can easily get lost but holy shit, every nook and cranny of that level screamed Star Wars to me. Also exploring Xizor's Palace was great.

My LEAST favorite level in that whole game was the level where you have to steal the Death Star plans from that ship.

[Egann]

I confess, I've only played JK2 and Academy, mostly because whenever I play DFII, it glitches a few levels in. I'll probably try it again after I get a real PC tower, because it's a shame for so many people to say "it's awesome," and for it to just sit there in my Steam library.

 

Of the games I played, JK2 is probably my favorite. I didn't really have a problem waiting for the saber because, to be honest, all the Jedi games are better shooters than saber duelers, but it was well designed. Academy is a great improvement in the gameplay department, but is the poster-child of "branching paths spoil the story." Tavion's end in particular was disappointing, as it felt they were going somewhere with her in JK2. I guess not. The only interesting part of it--Katarn's conflicted feelings about sparing her--is mostly implied, doesn't have a satisfying ending, and appears to go right over Jaden's head. Ah, well.

[Oberon Storm]

So if I had to describe why I'm dreading the next movie...I'd say it's because I'm sure it will be exactly like Trek (2009): a decent, but unremarkable movie which doesn't come anywhere close to justifying the reboot (or in this case, de-canonizing the EU.) The blunt reason the studio execs wanted to reboot these franchises is that they found keeping up with the lore tiresome and wanted to wipe it down to simple stuff. I understand, but if that's your general attitude, you don't love the source material, you will not be able to make great movies when you think of it as a cash-cow, and you should end the franchise on a high note rather than milking it into the irrelevance of Hermaeus Mora's oblivion.

 

George Lucas always said he considered the EU separate from the movies. Though he did not want the EU to contradict the movies they were never really "canon". 

[Selena]

Yeah, getting rid of the Star Wars EU makes perfect sense for a new trilogy -- none of the post-ROTJ stuff would have translated well on the big screen. Most of the EU books were written as longer series, of which there were several, and they were often somewhat dependent on each other.

 

Star Wars EU is somewhat like the DC Animated Universe. It was highly influential, introduced a lot of cool characters and storylines, but it also remained a separate entity from the official comics.

 

Likewise, the EU has influenced the movie universe, but the movies and the EU are still separate entities. Especially since a lot of the EU conflicts with itself.

 

 

 

Star Trek this is not. 

[Delphi]

It's definitely the right decision. But it's also nice that it still exists as an alternate continuity. I want to see how the cluster fuck of the last few books gets resolved. It's like a train wreck at this point. I can't look away until it comes to a complete, flaming stop.

[Egann]

Again, my general gripe is that they took a machete to it rather than a scalpel, but I suppose there was no avoiding that. Doing otherwise would have made winners and losers out of the fan community, which may not have gone over well. Still, the reason it needs it at all is that the universe has grown too bloated.

 

I'm still torn on which franchise (Trek or Wars) got the better deal in the reboot. They both obliterated most of their canon, both good and bad, and they both will still have terrible stuff left in the canon. Which is worse; the prequels, or Enterprise?

[Veteran]

Thursday 12.01 am 17 December 2015. I'll be in a cinema watching Star Wars.



I am a lucky chimney sweep.

[Selena]

Early reviews trickling in. They all sound overwhelmingly positive. "Best film since the original."  As in, some are ranking it just as good -- if not better -- than Empire.

 

 

 

I'm on the hype train and there's no looking back. EXCITEMENT INTENSIFIES. 

[Oberon Storm]

I'm excited, but I remember the first exit polls(?) after Episode 1. Everyone loved it the first time through.

[Jasi]

Episode 1 isn't that bad aside from Jar-Jar. Fan excitement could carry that one. It's 2 and 3 that are really atrocious.

[Veteran]

It was fantastic. A couple of things here and there that were weird, but overall awesome.

[Selena]

I feel better knowing the movie has the official stamp of approval from one of our biggest Star Wars nerds. 

 

I'll be seeing it after the weekend to avoid people.