Star Wars: Episode VII: The Nerd Rage Awakens

[Dick Whitman]

Interesting to see him reveal that he felt it would need to be all three of them (meaning Mark Hamill, Carrie FIsher, and Harrison Ford) for him to agree to sign on. I have been thinking a lot about that. From a pure story standpoint Luke was the only absolute necessity. But in the real world they could have never gotten away with that. Hamill, and the whole production would have been questioned endlessly about Ford's absence.

Or imagine if Ford turned this down and prevented the movie from happening at all. That would probably have leaked out. Obviously things worked out for the best.

Another thing to consider very seriously. People are entitled to criticize and nitpick the movies all they want. But think about all of the people who have died in the 32 years since Return of Jedi who would have simply been happy to see the story continue. They never did. My father was one of those people. He died in September. He was never a huge Star Wars fan but I remember him saying a few times over the years he was surprised we never saw Leia become a Jedi.

 

[cooleddie74]

My dad died less than a year before Episode I premiered. He didn't even get to the see the first teaser trailer for The Phantom Menace. My mom passed away after the Prequel Trilogy had ended but long before the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm and the announcement of the new films, so she got to see the first six movies but won't be around for the new ones. This will be the first Star Wars trilogy of any era where at least one of my parents can't watch and enjoy them with me, so this new trilogy will mean something very poignant and special to me.

 

[davejames]

I wasn't really surprised that Ford signed on (since as the main lead in the first movie of a new SW trilogy it would have been a no-brainer of a business decision for him), but it is cool to hear that he was actually enthusiastic about the idea as well.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I am very happy to here that too. I can not remember where I read it but a friend of his said he has mellowed a lot in recent years. In particular towards Star Wars due to an 30th Anniversary screening of Empire Strikes Back he attended. Which would have been in 2010.

 

[Corran Horn]

I wasn't really surprised that Ford signed on (since as the main lead in the first movie of a new SW trilogy it would have been a no-brainer of a business decision for him), but it is cool to hear that he was actually enthusiastic about the idea as well.

All it does is make me think they're actually doing what he always wanted them to do.

 

[cooleddie74]

While Han's sacrifice in the Original Trilogy would have been ill-timed I can't entirely say that - if he does die or get killed in the new films (even as early as Episode VII) that it would be the worst storytelling decision they could make. Han will be a senior citizen in the new films and if he makes the ultimate sacrifice for his friends and the other characters then as long as its written as heroically and interestingly as possible so that Harrison gets to hyperspace-jump into the sunset in style, then I'm no longer adamantly opposed to the idea.

If finding a way to kill off Han Solo was one of Harrison's demands for appearing in the movie then at least Han Solo and Harrison are going to be back in the Saga, even if their presence won't last until the end of Episode IX. We lost Obi-Wan in Episode IV as well as Yoda, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader all in Episode VI so it's not as if the major characters are immune from dying or being knocked off if it serves the wider story arc. I just hope they write it well so we don't spend the next 30 years complaining that Han Solo went down like a punk.

 

[Set Harth]

You know, I wouldn't mind an RC BB-8 for Christmas.

Clearly the "BB" stands for "beach ball".

You've done it again, Abrams.

 

[kirk55555]

I just hope they write it well so we don't spend the next 30 years complaining that Han Solo went down like a punk.

I can see it now: Greedo's long lost brother corners Han in the men's room of a cantina, and shoots first

 

[cooleddie74]

It'd still be a better way to go than Greedo.

One of Jabba's best bounty hunters and even in the Special Edition he can't hit a stationary target just a couple of feet away.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Just read an interview with Hamill, apparently BB-8 is not cg

[Laughs] I’m sure he loved the new little droid that’s a rolling ball. I’m sure he wants it under the tree this Christmas. They never cease to amaze me with what they’re able to come up with, you know? I said, “How are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?”

And then they have this new one. I can’t even tell you his name, but you saw it in the trailer. [Editor’s note: the name of the droid has been revealed as BB-8.] And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set — because it’s not CGI, that’s a live prop — I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I’m telling you, it’s an absolute delight.

And not having thought that I’d ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just – I get the chills. It’s just so much fun.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/mark-hamill-on-playing-with-the-star-wars-the-105015597302.html?src=rss

That's great. BB-8 looks like a cgi monstrosity. Finding out it's practical is delightful. I seriously wonder how the damn thing works now. Now I know what I want for Christmas next year.

I just hope they write it well so we don't spend the next 30 years complaining that Han Solo went down like a punk.

Malcolm McDowell shoots him in the back. Audiences long for Solo to die under a bridge.

 

[AgentCoop]

I remember seeing this on Making Star Wars a couple of weeks ago. Now that we've seen BB-8 and it's been confirmed that he's/she's not CGI, it seems like it might be legit:

http://makingstarwars.net/2014/11/visual-new-droid-sidekick-works-star-wars-force-awakens/

 

[The Old Mixer]

Seeing a photo of Hamill with the beard got me more enthusiastic for the film than anything in the teaser.

 

[davejames]

While Han's sacrifice in the Original Trilogy would have been ill-timed I can't entirely say that - if he does die or get killed in the new films (even as early as Episode VII) that it would be the worst storytelling decision they could make. Han will be a senior citizen in the new films and if he makes the ultimate sacrifice for his friends and the other characters then as long as its written as heroically and interestingly as possible so that Harrison gets to hyperspace-jump into the sunset in style, then I'm no longer adamantly opposed to the idea.

Agreed. Even in a darker and more dramatic ROTJ (that was much closer to ESB in tone), I'm not sure I really would have wanted to see Han die. He was just so incredibly cool and memorable a character that it would have just been TOO much of a blow to see him die at the end I think.

But at the start of a new trilogy, when it's 30 years later and he's an old man, I think his death would probably be a lot easier to accept and move on from. Especially if it's used to help establish a scary new threat that the newer characters will have to face in future movies, or if it gives them something to avenge later on.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

These aren't just movie characters to me.
This isn't just a sequel.

I knew that since the first time I saw the original films, starting at 4 years old or so.

I remember seeing the RotJ comic book adaptation. .. and even seeing drawings of the characters I had a connection with them.. they were both my friends and my heroes. Even though I'm older now then the characters themselves are in any of the OT films, I still look up to them.

Which is why I'm still so very oddly tepid about it.. about hearing any new dialogue coming from these characters.. or seeing them interact with each other. It won't be Hamill, Ford, and Fischer interacting, it will be me seeing Luke, Han, and Leia interacting.. these people that are more than just "movie characters in a sequel."

I wish I could explain it better how I feel.. but I think a few of you will understand.

 

[cooleddie74]

If Han Solo could be taken out by one of the new villains then none of the lead heroes could feel safe. Darth Vader, the Emperor, droids, Jabba the Hutt and numerous bounty hunters, criminals and thugs over the decades couldn't kill Han, but if the new bad guy(s) manage to do so then it could provide some very serious dramatic material for the new films.

 

[BillJ]

These aren't just movie characters to me.
This isn't just a sequel.

I knew that since the first time I saw the original films, starting at 4 years old or so.

I remember seeing the RotJ comic book adaptation. .. and even seeing drawings of the characters I had a connection with them.. they were both my friends and my heroes. Even though I'm older now then the characters themselves are in any of the OT films, I still look up to them.

Which is why I'm still so very oddly tepid about it.. about hearing any new dialogue coming from these characters.. or seeing them interact with each other. It won't be Hamill, Ford, and Fischer interacting, it will be me seeing Luke, Han, and Leia interacting.. these people that are more than just "movie characters in a sequel."

I wish I could explain it better how I feel.. but I think a few of you will understand.

This is how I feel about Kirk, Spock and the rest of the TOS characters.

 

[Enterprise1701]

If Han Solo could be taken out by one of the new villains then none of the lead heroes could feel safe. Darth Vader, the Emperor, droids, Jabba the Hutt and numerous bounty hunters, criminals and thugs over the decades couldn't kill Han, but if the new bad guy(s) manage to do so then it could provide some very serious dramatic material for the new films.

Well, the producers would have to pull that off ultra-expertly or else alienate fans, moviegoers, and critics.

 

[cooleddie74]

Star Wars fans (and sci-fi/fantasy geeks in general) are easily angered and offended to begin with, so yeah....J.J. and Lawrence Kasdan better have given him the most epic and special demise if he does indeed perish in this movie. Maybe he won't and will survive all the way through Episode IX, but just in case I hope Abrams and Kasdan were on their A-game when they wrote the script.

 

[Dac]

^^Eh, from my experience Star Wars fans were a pretty docile bunch during the re-releases in 97 and even up to the release of The Phantom Menace. It was only after that moment they turned into a bitter, hate filled bunch of Trekkies who miss the glory days.

 

[Iamnotspock]

Well, it would fit with the parallel structure of the Star Wars story so far to have a mentor figure who passes on his teachings to the young hero before dying in the first episode of the trilogy. So far those characters have been Jedi; Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. It might be an interesting shift to have Luke survive this one and Han be a mentor figure in some way - not in a Jedi sense, but perhaps a role similar to Ford's Colonel Graff in Ender's Game - and go out in a blaze of glory, perhaps giving the young heroes something to avenge, or at least providing a new impetus for, say, Finn or Rey.