Star Wars VII Discussion Thread (was: Star Wars new trailer)

[shandy]

I think Kylo Ren was an interesting character - having the Dark Side villain remind you of twits who ragepost on the internet was a pretty neat idea.

Now that is clever, I haven't thought about it this way - brilliant!

Snokes [...] then it turns out that no, he's just regular human-sized. 

I must have missed that - where does it turn out he's human-sized? I was wondering about his size myself...

[von Lucky]

Saw it last night. Thanks to this thread I was made a little more objective going in to see it. The movie was good, not great. Disney et al were obviously at pains to not repeat the errors of episodes I-III, so they copied much of IV as they could get away with.

The reason for sticking with a tried and true formula (as the wife pointed out) is that the main audience are kids so that Disney has a cash cow for at least the next 30 years. Deal with it people with inner kids who are way over 30.

I liked that the First Order is now an equal opportunity employer when it comes to women, however Captain Phasma was underutilised. Additionally, there were still not any women in positions of higher authority.

While I like the updating of the armour, Stormtroopers need more butt protection.

Daisy (Rey) was the stand out and agree that she was a great hero (and a female one which was nice). Adam (Ren) was always going to have a hard time - acting teenage boys is tough.

SPOILERS
I think the biggest error made was not have him look anything like the rest of his family.

I also think that Solo ("Did you just call me Solo?") isn' t dead (worked for Gandalf). All the oldies (even Hamill's scene) were great. Ford really slipped into the old role with ease. Didn't like that he kept taking Chewie's gun to shoot guys - that was a bit insulting. Finally, with Rey getting the driver's seat of the Falcon in the end I'm not sure if everyone knows (subconciously at least) who she is. Did I miss that confirmation?

The humour and references to past films overall was really well done. That was obviously done to also bring the oldies along for the ride.

I'm with Elbows - a good film, but not great. The safe option was taken as there was a lot of pressure from people like us. I look forward to the next episode.

[Mason]

The safe option was taken as there was a lot of pressure from people like us. I look forward to the next episode.

My take on it exactly.
Dont risk alienating the audience in the first act.
 

Snokes has a silly name and even looks rather silly. The one cool thing about him was when you thought he was an actual giant (which would have been a cool Star Wars alien-y twist), but then it turns out that no, he's just regular human-sized.

I reckon Darth Snoke-Dog is really, really tiny.
In fact, I reckon that he is so small that he lives next door to Dangermouse in the kerb, hence the serious case of (very) 'little man syndrome'.
Why else would you feel the need to make yourself appear so big?
 

[Elk101]

I got the impression that the Kylo Ren character was supposed to be a gifted jedi but one that was seriously flawed; he was petulant,  emotionally unstable, and generally a brat. Some of the exchanges between Snoke and Ren and Ren and Hux made me think that Snoke saw him almost like a plaything and a trophy over the Resistance. It was clear that Snoke was instrumental in Ren's destruction of the new jedi, probably rather easily corrupting him and that Snoke continued to pull his strings. I thought the temper tantrums were quite appropriate (and the stormtroopers backing off made me laugh) for a partially trained pet. I don't think he's supposed to be the new Vader,  he's more like the new trainee assistant Vader intern. This is purely my take on things and I certainly don't claim that it's what was intended by the writers,  just what it made me think.

I liked the film. I would like to see VIII pick up a fresher story though. I guess the star destroying /killing device plot shows the inflexibility of the Empire /First Order, or the First Order strategy meeting went along the lines of:

"you know what they would just not expect again, a deathstar"

"OH EM GEE! You're a genius Arthur, it's the last thing they'd think we'd do. We are so doing this!"

[Mason]

"you know what they would just not expect again, a deathstar"

"OH EM GEE! You're a genius Arthur, it's the last thing they'd think we'd do. We are so doing this!"

It sounds like the New Order have the same senior management team as one of my previous workplaces.....

[CompanyB]

Saw this last night.  My son is exactly the same age I was when my dad took me to the original film in 1977, 8 years old.  And he was blown away.  He said his mind was blown and he's been singing the star wars theme and swinging a toy sword around with light saber sounds all morning.  This was me almost 30 years ago.  So yes...this movie rocked.

Lets face it, these movies are about the Skywalker Family and the destiny that surrounds them...everything will revolve around them and those whose destinies are forever intertwined with theirs.

For me, Kylo Ren was a better Anikan than Anikan was.  That was the exact angst driven persona I was expecting from the prequels.  So perhaps this movie was trying to bring that feeling back, to make up for not feeling the angst in Anikan's turn to the Darkside.  Kylo Ren is not vader...he can never be.  Vader turned to the dark side to save those he cared about.  He lost his humanity in the process and he ended up being the reason that those he loved died.  He was filled with feelings of betrayal, rage, pain and hate...that's what made him powerful. He was permanently in pain, and basically stuck in a robotic suit in order to survive....never able to achieve his true force potential due to his injuries...hence the intense hatred against ObiWan.  But when he again found he had someone to care for, his son..he turned back to the light.  Kylo (Sky Solo) just has granddaddy issues. He craves power but does't understand what he would need to sacrifice in order to gain it. It's now up to two more films to see if he can be redeemed or even become as powerful as he wants to be (that will take a big sacrifice...)  What's unknown is if these characters are even aware of what transpired with vader and the emperor. Does Kylo even know that Vader returned to the light? Does he know why he tried to eradicate the Jedi?

I like Rey.. It's obvious who she is related too...and that she has been through advanced Jedi training from birth. She was even wearing the Padawan clothing in her flashback to her youth. Ren also suspects who she is...and he knows that she will be powerful...as much or more than he is. Luke had an just an hour of training with a lightsaber in A New Hope.  Compare that to Rey, who in her backstory had 10 years of living on her own in harsh conditions, learning to fight with a staff, building strength and stamina searching for junk parts to trade for food, flight/pilot training on a X-wing flight simulators, and just surviving on Jakku. She doesn't just become adept in the span of the film...she's prepping for this adventure for over 10 years, being watched over by Max Von Sydow's character...similar to how ObiWan watched over and protected Luke.  So of course this movie follows the previous ones.  All the Skywalkers grew up on desert worlds, are good pilots, are good with technology, and are adept with the force.  The difference is that Rey was trained since birth, Luke may have received some training from ObiWan as he grew up on Tatoine, but we won't know until they do that movie  

My only issue with the movies is that you need to watch all the other shows and read the books to get the backstory and fill the holes.  A lot of what transpires right before this film is in the young adult novels released last year.  The CGI Rebels series also has a tremendous amount of backstory leading into the creation of  the Episode IV Rebel alliance, and the use of Dark Side force sensitives in the Empire's Legions.

[Gailbraithe]

Luke had an just an hour of training with a lightsaber in A New Hope.

It's never conclusively stated how long the flight to Alderaan took.  We know that Ben was training Luke during the flight, but it's pure speculation to say it was only an hour.  Expanded Universe materials suggest that the trip takes roughly 96 hours, or four days.  Luke could have easily gotten in 24 to 36 hours of practice.

More importantly, the only Force feat Luke uses in A New Hope is Force sense, the easiest and most basic of all Jedi powers.  He would spend years developing his talents before pulling off the telekinesis in the Wampa cave.

Compare that to Rey, who in her backstory had 10 years of living on her own in harsh conditions, learning to fight with a staff, building strength and stamina searching for junk parts to trade for food, flight/pilot training on a X-wing flight simulators, and just surviving on Jakku.

This is, of course, ridiculously unrealistic.  An orphaned girl abandoned to fend herself on a backwater planet would not develop any of these skills.  She would probably die, and if she didn't die she would be weak, malnourished, and be grossly undereducated compared to the galactic average.

I mean seriously, grow grab a child who grew up in the slums of India, earning their living picking through garbage piles.  You think they're going to be more badass for their rough upbringing?  Of course not.

[Ray Earle]

Finally saw it last night. Enjoyed it immensely. It's nice to know that after all the years between episode VI and VII storm troopers still haven't passed basic marksmanship training...

For me, only one thing was missing; and that was Wedge Antilles. 

[shandy]

This is, of course, ridiculously unrealistic. 

Weeeelllll, faster than light travel? Light sabers? Planets shooting other planets? "an energy field created by all living things"? 

[Mason]

Weeeelllll, faster than light travel? Light sabers? Planets shooting other planets? "an energy field created by all living things"? 

Bang on, that.....

Too much angst in this thread.

It is NOT real, ya know?
 

[Captain Blood]

This is, of course, ridiculously unrealistic.  An orphaned girl abandoned to fend herself on a backwater planet would not develop any of these skills.  She would probably die, and if she didn't die she would be weak, malnourished, and be grossly undereducated compared to the galactic average.

I mean seriously, grow grab a child who grew up in the slums of India, earning their living picking through garbage piles.  You think they're going to be more badass for their rough upbringing?  Of course not.

You seem to be confusing a light-hearted, far-fetched space opera romp with some kind of portrayal of reality that should conform to real world rules.

Star Wars is a JOKE. It's always been a giant joke. Great fun, thrilling, with lots of tongue in cheek humour and moments of high melodrama - but basically one big jokey adventure. It's got dancing alien teddy bears for God's sake. It's not REAL. How can you judge it in real terms of what makes sense or not, and compare it to real world issues?
It's not meant to be serious or taken at face value. It's just a silly, enjoyable fairy story.
Of course you can pick a million and one holes in it, because it's utter nonsense. But then it's never pretended to be anything else. What's the point in analysing to death something that is so self-evidently trivial and fantastical. You might as well criticise Alice in Wonderland for internal plot inconsistencies. It's pantomime, not serious drama.

[shandy]

Star Wars is a JOKE. It's always been a giant joke. Great fun, thrilling, with lots of tongue in cheek humour and moments of high melodrama - but basically one big jokey adventure. It's got dancing alien teddy bears for God's sake.

This! And that's a reason why I could never bring myself to hate the Ewoks - I saw RotJ when I was 8, it was my first Star Wars movie and I loved everything about it; I even built an Ewok village out of old logs. Why should I go back and hate it now?

[Mason]

This! And that's a reason why I could never bring myself to hate the Ewoks - I saw RotJ when I was 8, it was my first Star Wars movie and I loved everything about it; I even built an Ewok village out of old logs. Why should I go back and hate it now?

Logs???

Blimey, you were posh!
I had to use old toilet roll tubes and cardboard.
We did not have real wood where I grew up......




 

[von Lucky]

Salo, Kids and The Human Centipede are your favourite comedies, right?

[Elk101]

We did not have real wood where I grew up......

 

I just about choked at this. That gave me a good chuckle,  even though it's true and also made me a little sad!